Villainous
by Darcie11
Summary: In which Link tries his hand at playing the villain. "There really is no rest for the wicked..." She yanked him closer, lips turned in a sultry smile. "Shut up and get to work." A fluffy short story that takes place after the events of Twilight Princess.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is written for ShadowQueenMidna, because we're both severely lacking in the Zelink fluffies!**

**Warning: Rated M for mature scenes of fluffiness and sappy content, as well as some steamy romance and innuendos. If you like that stuff then enjoy!**

**Also this is meant to be a lighthearted fiction, very little seriousness involved, a complete contrast to one of the other stories I have which also takes place in Twilight Princess. Zelda will not be a cold and calculative monarch and the world will not be so angst riddled. I'm mostly going to be practicing my banter, so any advice and comments you have are welcome!**

**Disclaimer: Nintendo owns LoZ, not me *sobs in a corner***

* * *

**Villainous**

**Chapter 1:**

Link grit his teeth as he stared down at the guards. Of all the bloody stubborn...!

"Let me pass!"

It was a forceful command and under regular circumstances the guards would have jumped to obey forthwith. However, this time they must have been threatened with punishment of unspeakable horror, for they maintained their stations and faced him with daring reserve. They both stared ahead, unwilling to catch his eyes lest they flinch and cave. Link knew how it was with guards. It was almost enough to inspire admiration from him.

But Link was not in a decent mood, and as such their resilient virtue was taken as obstinate stubbornness.

"Are your minds too feeble to comprehend? Step aside!" He took a step forward and in response the pair of guards crossed their spears, effectively blocking the maple doors that led to Zelda's study.

"I am sorry, Sir Link," spoke the right guard, "But we have our orders. The queen will see no one."

It took all of his control not to draw his sword and put them in their place. He did not do so for one reason and that was because he'd promised Zelda he wouldn't carry a bare blade in the castle unless there was a serious threat. Even four years after the Twilight Invasion, people still panicked at the sight of a drawn sword in the hallways, thinking that they were once again under siege.

Instead he passed a hand through rough ragged hair, having long discarded his cap and hero outfit for finer and moderately more uncomfortable apparel as befitted his station as queen's champion.

Queen Zelda, at twenty-one, had ascended the throne and taken her rightful place as ruler of Hyrule. The coronation had been originally intended to take place right after her twentieth birthday, as was tradition, but then the matter of Zant arose, inevitably delaying it until well after the reconstruction efforts had begun. Zelda had refused to pass the ceremony until her people were sheltered and cared for.

That was his Zelda. Putting the wellbeing of others before her own. But Goddesses above, sometimes he wished she'd consider her needs in lieu of others. Couldn't she realize it was impossible to fend for every single living being in all of Hyrule? Apparently not, if her boundless generosity was anything to go by. She'd have dipped into her own account long ago to support them if her ministers hadn't prevented her.

Link fingered his sword, seriously considering violating that promise. "If you won't comply then I'll just have to forcefully remove you myself." There was a sharp zing of metal as he flicked it out partially to show that he wasn't bluffing.

A steely voice rang through the corridor.

"Sir Link, if you do not stand down right this moment and let these men tend to their posts then I shall have _you_ forcefully removed from the castle grounds."

The guards visibly slumped in relief upon the arrival of the newcomer.

Sword snapping back into its sheath, Link whirled around to face the man, a frown instantly in place. "You're not her keeper, Lord Raleigh."

Lord Leon Raleigh was a member on Zelda's council and her closest advisor in matters of the state. He was getting on in years, as was apparent by the grey streaks in his sideburns and the wrinkles, which drew ugly lines across his brow whenever he frowned – which was more often than not. He was a man of intellect and had been a thorn in Link's side ever since he'd moved into the castle. He seemed to think that Link's lack of formal education somehow made him more barbaric in nature. To him Link was just a callous swordsman with no dignity to his name, despite the extensive feats he'd accomplished and the fact that he'd saved their land and then princess from a rule of tyranny.

How he despised the man.

"_Don't take what he say's to heart_," Zelda had told him once as she'd comforted him one night after having thrown an angry diatribe. "_He is brusque in manner, but he means well_."

That had always been something Link could never see, at least when it came to him. No, the minister did not always mean well. Often he was just plain interference.

The minister narrowed his eyes and motioned to the guards. They started forward, spears raised.

"She's been locked up in her study for days," Link said defensively, eyeing the guards and just daring them to go ahead and try to throw him out. They wavered just the slightest bit and paused in their advance. "How do you know she's not dead or dying?"

Lord Raleigh thrust his chin high and gave a haughty scoff. "Don't be a fool. The queen is attending to important business of state as she has been for weeks. She has much to do and little time to dally with ruffian swordsmen who claim to be the general of the Golden Legion. We have servants who attend to her whenever she calls for them. I'm certain if anything were wrong they'd inform me. If your presence is not specifically requested then you have no right to enter."

To hell he had no right! He was her champion, her advisor and protector, so why was it that he was not permitted to go near her? Ludicrous!

Baring his teeth, Link replied tersely. "I am assigned to her majesty's protection. I should at least be allowed in the same room as her."

"And provide distraction she does not need?" asked Lord Raleigh coldly. "I think it's best that you retire for the night, Sir Link."

"The night is when assassins abound," he said pointedly.

Eyebrow twitching, the minister turned abruptly on his heels. "Nevertheless, she will not see anyone. Not even you, hero."

Link opened his mouth to reply but a voice interfered from beyond the heavy doors, muffled but still familiar.

"_Link? Is that you?"_

He sent a smirk at the pompous lord, whose shoulders perceptively stiffened. He faced the doors and spoke loudly, "Zelda, I-"

"_If you could take your conversation elsewhere that would be much appreciated, thank you. The noise is disturbing." _

Link blinked in astonishment. Then the full range of her words hit him and he was left gaping. He was cut to the quick and almost staggered back from shear disbelief. Had she just…? Did she… dismiss him? HIM? Her closest friend and confidant?

Her singsong voice, no matter how pleasant, was tinged with slight irritation. He knew that tone, was well acquainted with it. It was not to be trifled with under any circumstance.

She truly did not wish to see him…

The minister shot him a smug smile from over his shoulder. "To the green room, hero?"

Link scowled, his jaw clenching. He swerved to move down the hall. "No. We're finished here."

Shoulders squared stiffly, he stormed down the corridor, intending to get as far away from the minister as he possibly could. Lord Raleigh's loud laughter rang after him, echoing maddeningly as it bounced off the smooth castle walls.

"_Pleeeease, Lord Raleigh. I require silence."_

Again her words were polite but tinged with an undertone of exasperation and slight impatience.

The minister spluttered before quickly muttering an apology through the door.

Link increased his pace, smiling as he turned a corner.

* * *

Four years had passed since the Twilight Invasion and in that time drastic changes had been implemented into the security system of Hyrule Castle and Castle Town. As queen's champion, Link had been given the authority to make these changes and his first order of business had been to whip the soldiers back into shape. Straight following he had selected the best of them, the ones he deemed most advanced and virtuous, to rise up the ranks as the new knightly order of Hyrule. It hadn't mattered whether they were from noble or common background, he'd had Queen Zelda's support and that was all he'd needed to see them swiftly knighted. He'd instilled in them the ancient values of the former order, those same values that he upheld with unfailing reverence, and made of them an example for others to follow. They'd become leaders of the nation, providing assistance when it was needed and doing their utmost to serve their ruler with unwavering loyalty.

Link had next scrutinized their defences and sought to cover up the numerous weak spots that enemies could easily exploit. Most importantly, he'd doubled the guards in the castle and plotted multiple escape routes for her majesty should another unfortunate incidence occur.

His memories lingered on those long hours spent going over those plans. Blessed hours spent in solitude with Zelda. Only about half of that time was used productively, for the other half they'd done…other things…

Nevertheless, by the end he'd made her go through the escape plan over and over, only satisfied when he was certain she could do it half asleep. He still remembered what she'd said back then as he had pushed her to the brink of collapse.

"_How I detest you, Link. Does your cruelty know no bounds?" _

His reply had been blunt, "_If being mean will save your life, then so be it. I'd rather you lived to hate me than have me regret being too kind to you_."

Uncharacteristically, she had stuck out her tongue. A brash move, and one that had ignited many stirrings within him. Hours more had been spent after that doing those other things.

They lived in a well-earned era of peace. Because of their conjoined fates and experiences at the hands of the Twilight, he and Zelda had formed an irreplaceable bond. Even when it was all over they couldn't bear to part and resume their normal lives as if nothing had ever happened, so they sought each other out. They could often be found wandering the gardens together or riding in the fields. He was her guard and she his queen, but somewhere along the lines they had become something more.

Presently found Link patrolling the outer battlements. The high elevation of the wall offered him a view of both sides, to his right a sprawling town, and to his left a clear green vista, Western Hyrule Field. He had just completed his weekly inspection of the troops and was now overseeing their first line of defence, keenly surveying it for faults.

Accompanying him was a knight by the name of Sir Hadrian of Tarrence, the very first man he'd chosen to become a knight of the new order.

Link nodded at the soldiers he passed, hands clasped behind his back and posture rigid. Apparently something in his demeanour had caught Hadrian's attention for the man made sure to keep a good two feet of space between them and continuously cast him obscure glances from the corner of his eyes.

Link caught him glancing once again and his patience waned. He inclined his head, starting in an abrupt manner, "Is there something on your mind, Hadrian? If so, do relieve yourself and spit it out."

* * *

Hadrian winced. It was easy to forget how perceptive Link was, and how volatile he could be at times. "If I may say so… You don't appear to be in a good mood this morning."

Link snorted in disregard, "Nonsense. I'm in the best of moods. Perfectly chipper." Suddenly he whirled and thrust a finger at an unsuspecting soldier. "You there! Straighten that posture, if I catch you slouching once more I'll have you rung up and put on display!"

The soldier stammered and snapped to attention, almost breaking his back in the process. "Y-yes Sir – I - I mean, yes milord!"

"You had it right the first time! Know how to properly address people. Any uncertainty you have an enemy can exploit to his own advantage. Am I clear?"

The soldier trembled under Link's fierce gaze. "V-very clear, sir."

Link gave a stiff nod, "Good man. I see you learn fast."

As if he hadn't just emotionally traumatized a full-grown man out of the next four to six years of his life, Link continued on down the walkway on the lookout for any more slackers, the poor souls.

Hadrian sighed and murmured, "Chipper, indeed." Link's ear's twitched but he opted not to respond. It seemed that if they were to get anywhere he'd have to push a little more forcefully.

"Link, you know that if there's anything at all bothering you, you may unburden yourself on me," he said in a voice of deep concern. "You have my ears and I'm not one inclined to judge a man no matter who he is and no matter what his troubles are. I've seen enough - lived through enough - to know and even understand that the strongest of men are capable of succumbing to their emotions."

Link slowed his trod then stopped altogether, shoulders slumping. He exhaled lightly and looked at Hadrian, "I know you mean well, but there are some things in this world that cannot be fixed by talking about it."

"Come now, it cannot be all that bad," said Hadrian lightly, as they started walking again. Word must have spread, for every soldier they saw from thereon was on high alert and saluted Link with fast sharpness.

Link looked not to be paying attention to them at all, suddenly lost in his own musings. "To you, perhaps not."

"Even so, you'll feel better after you've had your say about it," Hadrian responded. "And who knows, if it is as serious as you make it out to be, perhaps we can bounce ideas on how to go about rectifying whatever it is that plagues you so."

Link was silent for a moment then he buckled, and once he got started talking it became a challenge to keep up as the words tumbled out of his mouth. Hadrian was amazed he was capable of speaking so much all in one go, but listened attentively.

At first – to no surprise - he ranted about Lord Raleigh, a very important minister and a person normal people would not want to be heard complaining about in public. His anger then devolved to the common affairs of state, the meetings and delegations he had to attend, before he derailed completely and spoke about her majesty.

Hadrian knew of the alliance the queen was working all hours to forge between Hyrule and their neighboring country, Termina, and how it was of vital importance that it be done as quickly as possible. They offered trade and resources that Hyrule could benefit greatly from, and they were a coastal country, which gave the treaty even more importance. He also knew of Link's very close relationship with the queen, and that he could become quite jealous when it came to her. He may have accepted that he was required to share her with the people, that was as long as he was beside her for the most part, but this time away from her must have been torture on his soul.

Hadrian listened with an attentive ear, pitying him all the while.

"I'm her champion, for Goddesses sake! I should damn well be allowed to see her," Link spat. "But no! She sends me away, as if I'm a pest! An annoyance!"

Rolling his shoulders, Hadrian determined to defend their queen, "She is busy. Don't worry about it. Once the treaty is signed it shall be over and done with. It won't be long now."

Link stomped as he walked, "It better not be." He then released a long breath of frustration. He looked over to peer at the glistening green landscape, dotted with the occasional tree. His eyes took on a far-seeing glaze. "I don't know what it is, but being away from her like this…I lose myself. I feel as though a part of my soul has been stripped from me. There is warmth only when I'm around her."

Hadrian smiled. "Ah, love in all its shining glory."

Link did not question how Hadrian knew of his feelings towards the queen. He'd been in love with her ever since he'd witnessed first hand the lengths she went to in order to expedite the restoration of her country. He had done nothing since to hide his ardor for her.

"It's maddening…"

"Yet men would give their souls for a fleeting chance at it."

Link laughed softly, "No wonder the women folk call us crazy."

"Crazy how we so easily succumb to their wicked wiles?" said Hadrian, shooting Link a grin.

"Wicked indeed," said Link with a small smile. "And none more wicked than the queen herself." His smile abruptly vanished as a frown manifested in its place. "And therein lies the problem. She's the queen, I can't ask of her to devote herself solely to me. As much as the idea is appealing, I can never be that selfish. Yet she spreads herself so thinly to accommodate absolutely everyone, the time that I have with her is too brief for my liking."

"You must admit, she is very social and manages well doling out her attention," Hadrian scratched his short scruff of beard. "But I do agree. Some time to herself, and some time with her champion, would do her well. When was the last time she had some time off?"

The hero replied almost immediately, "Two years ago."

Hadrian peered at him curiously. "That trip to Ordon? I remember she was so insistent on visiting your place of birth. And all it took was one cute pout to have you agreeing to it."

Link huffed. "It took a lot more than that."

"If you say so."

"I do."

Hadrian shook his head in wry amusement.

They were approaching the end of their route. The western gatehouse loomed before them, two turrets standing erect on either side of a tall gate, from which archers were positioned. Each end had a lever that controlled the raising and lowering of the drawbridge. As it was during daylight hours, the drawbridge was currently lowered and the massive doors open. A team of soldiers patrolled the lower regions, inspecting anyone passing in or out of the town.

The gatekeeper noticed them and waved. Hadrian hailed him with an energetic wave of his own while Link only raised his hand in a half-hearted motion.

"I've been a real shrew today, haven't I?" Link admitted bashfully.

He couldn't help but tease the hero a little. "Not at all. You've been a shrew for the better part of an entire two weeks at least, now."

This was met with coarse grumbling from Link who had to force down his ire once they reached the gatehouse.

Seeing as how he was less likely to tear off any heads, Hadrian opted to do most of the talking. He began by asking for the regular report.

"Nothing suspicious on around here," said the gatekeeper, a stout man by the name of Cyrus. "Hyrule is the most protected it's ever been, to my account that is. It's like a tightly woven net. No fish is able to swim through it without us allowing it. Won't see any villains stepping foot in the town anytime soon. They'd be stopped before they made it halfway to the gate."

Hadrian smiled pleasantly at the man. His confidence was reassuring. "That is good and all, but you must know that villains don't always take the direct approach as we would have them. Some operate on deceit to gain entrance. Lies come easy to them and you may be fooled. And there are others who are already within the walls. No matter our efforts, where there is a large populace always a number of those people will defer to crime as their way of living. Also not everyone is as loyal to the crown as we are. It is impossible for her majesty to please everybody, and some would go to great lengths to see her fall."

Cyrus tensed, tightening his hold around his javelin, his expression one of severity. "We keep a sharp eye out for those felons. And even if we don't catch them, we certainly don't make life any easier for them. Besides, they aren't a true threat. Compared to the queen's champion they're like flightless guay. Sir Link would have them down and restrained in a matter of seconds, wouldn't you, Sir?"

At the mention of his name, Link blinked and nodded. It was evident, however, that his mind was currently elsewhere. "Certainly. Whatever you say."

Cyrus beamed while Hadrian eyed the hero up and down. It was unlike Link to be so distracted while attending to his duties, especially when it comprised of overseeing the safety and protection of the queen.

"Not many can measure up to Sir Link's capabilities," he conceded truthfully, stroking his chin while eyeing Link oddly. He turned back to the gatekeeper. "Why, none but Sir Link is able to get past our guards, and for the life of me I've never quite figured out how he does it. He can creep up on a keaton if he wanted to. Only he could slip in and out of the castle without being caught. We are only lucky that his loyalty lies with Hyrule rather than elsewhere. If Link were the villain I fear that even with all our soldiers and knights combined we still wouldn't have skill enough to defend the castle from him."

Link abruptly shot his head up, blinking in what could only be described as sudden amazement.

Both gatekeeper and knight glanced at him in confusion.

"Is something the matter, Link?" Hadrian asked hesitantly, wondering if something they'd said had struck a nerve.

But then Link smiled widely. Hadrian could practically see the grey cloud that had been hovering over his head for weeks slowly shrink and vanish altogether. It was a tad frightening how drastically the hero's mood changed.

He froze as he found himself clasped by the shoulders, Link's bright face beaming widely at him. "That's it! Sir Hadrian, you are brilliant!"

Hadrian cast his eyes wildly about, somewhat embarrassed. "Er – ah – of course, Li – ahhh, Sir Link."

Link abruptly let him go and pivoted on his heel, charging down the nearest flight of stairs.

Hadrian stared after him as the hero reached the ground and wove expertly into the crowded street. He and the gatekeeper shared similar expressions of bemusement.

"What was that about?" said Cyrus, scratching the back of his neck.

He shrugged, "Hell if I know." He swept his eyes over the buildings and stalls below, watching the people rushing around as they carried on their daily work. The wind blew a coarse breeze in his face, a dog barked. Link was already lost to sight, and Hadrian could only surmise that he was thundering full pelt toward the castle.

He sighed. They were about finished their rounds anyways. May as well head back. Calling goodbye to Cyrus, he started down the ramparts at a much more leisurely pace. He'd never understand Link's idiosyncrasies, and he doubted he ever would. It was a waste of time and energy to think about.

As he made his way slowly to the castle he didn't know then that his words, seemingly innocent in nature, would inspire Link to carry out his next course of action. He was not to know that he had started a reaction that could only end in disaster.

* * *

Sometimes she found she had conflicting feelings about her office. Often it was a haven of sorts, somewhere to retreat to when the activity at court became too much for her. She liked to nestle down on the plush sofa with a good book, letting the warmth of the fireplace wash over her and nursing a warm cup of tea. Those were moments of bliss. Other times, more recently that is, it was a prison. It was not high up in a tower like the room Zant had locked her in during the invasion, but it did share other aspects. For one, the longer she stayed the more the walls seemed to close in around her, and everything became more oppressive. She felt…cold, trapped, only this time it was of her own choosing. Technically she could leave whenever she wanted, but she'd forbidden herself from stepping foot out of the room as long as there was work to be done. Or at least until nightfall, which was more hours away than she cared to think about.

Zelda worked diligently at her desk, a sturdy mahogany; a beautiful antique that had been passed down through a series of royal successors, embellished with golden marking and depictions of triforces at each corner. It was well polished with not a scratch lining its elegant surface.

She dabbed her quill in the ink pot and continued her writing, eyes growing heavy. She covered a yawn and stared at the wall. Really, she was too tired to be thinking. Perhaps if she just closed her eyes…only for a moment…just a short nap.

Gradually, her body slumped and tilted to the side. All at once she shot up, slamming a fist down on the desk.

No! There was work to be done and she was almost finished. She could sleep all she wanted after.

She sighed as she noticed a black splotch had been made on the paper from where her pen had dripped. She planted the pen back in the inkwell and waved her hand over the parchment. The spilled ink rose from the paper and with a flick of her wrist, slithered back into the jar.

Apparently she needed a break. She rose from her chair and rang for tea before going to lie down on the sofa, then decided against it and sat up straight. She didn't need her body shutting down quite yet.

Later, she promised herself. Later.

Idly she glanced over at the door, her thoughts directed to that last encounter with Link.

Guilt welled up in her chest as she thought back to a few days ago. She felt horrible for sending him away like that, but he was a big distraction for her. Whenever he was nearby it was as if she was compelled to have no other thoughts but of him. Now that she thought about it, he tended to crop up in her mind a lot when he wasn't anywhere nearby too. For some reason her attention always revolved around him.

Hmmm… Must be his dashing good looks. He'd managed to infatuate half the ladies at court with his appearance alone. Goodness knows his personality was nothing to vie for. He was about as antisocial as a redead, and whenever he did speak it was very blunt and factual as if he were planning out war strategies. He just didn't see the point in light talk. It was a wonder how he had made it into numerous social circles; they must have found his serious demeanour charming.

Yet there was something about him that she couldn't help but cherish. Every time he smiled good-naturedly at a stranger, how he was never above doing the simplest little tasks if it meant assisting another, or how he took on the most difficult challenges with that warrior gleam in his eye. That gleam, like the one he'd had during their final confrontation against Ganondorf, made her heart flutter every time…

It was just so damn sensual.

She missed him… She'd barely seen him ever since she began working on this blasted treaty, and when she did it was in mere glimpses. He'd be down in the yard, training with his troops, while she glided along a corridor two stories above, catching sight of him as she peered out a window.

And how she loved watching him train. Summer especially proved to be the best time for Link-watching. The days would be so hot that he would take off his tunic and undershirt to fight bare-chested. It never ceased to mesmerize her as she studied all those bumps and ridges that formed the contours of his muscles, sweat gleaming off his skin making him shine in the light of the sun. More than once she'd been guilty of stealing his hawkeye mask just to ogle him from afar. Of all the ladies who spied on him, she satisfied herself with knowing she always had the best view.

Her musings were interrupted as her tea arrived, carried in by a petite maid who set the tray down on her desk, poured a cup, and lastly turned to her with a curtsy.

"Is there anything else you'll be needing, majesty?"

Zelda waved a dismissive hand. "That will be all for now."

"As your majesty wishes."

The door clicked shut on her departure and Zelda got up, moving back toward the desk. She plopped down in the chair and carried her cup to her lips, breathing in the warm steam before sipping softly.

Moderately refreshed, she decided to get some more work done. The thought of Link in all his shirtless glory was ample motivation to finish as soon as possible; it was nearing the end of spring after all.

A cool wind blew in through the window, breaking into two paths on either side of her chair and rustling the edges of her papers. Zelda moved a glass paperweight over the stack and continued writing.

Soon loud voices could be heard coming from outside.

Zelda thought nothing of it and flicked her hand above her head. The window slammed shut and a small click signalled that it had latched.

Her ears flicked at the almost indistinct sound of a clink...

That was the only warning she had before the windows behind her burst inward, shattering into thousands of pieces. Zelda just managed to swerve around, erecting a barrier in the same motion, in time to divert the glass. She let the shield fall and raised her arms for an attack. A pair of startling blue eyes caught the light as they entered into the room and peered at her from within the frame.

Slowly she put her hands down, eyebrows high on her head. "Link?" They then angled downward to form a confused frown. "Link, what are you doing?"

Link climbed through the window and strode forward, boots crunching on the shards. Her eyes widened as she took in his…unusual appearance. He had seemingly discarded his noble's garments to wear leathers in various shades of grey and black. Slung across his shoulders was a cloak fastened in the front by a silver clasp. His eyes gleamed from beneath his hood.

Her breath caught, heart pounding frantically within her chest.

He smiled a devious little smirk that spoke of naughty naughty things.

"Why, my little queen... I'm here to kidnap you."

* * *

**I was so nervous posting this. I have never written anything so sappy before, but meh, first time for everything. (Sappy content will actually be in the later chapters :P)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you everyone for the reviews: etsy, M, Guest (oct 8), A True NaZaMi Fan, Nintendoes Gamer, Guest (oct 9), Ancient . tree, and Generala! Thank you thank you thank you!**

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

"What?" Zelda could only stare blankly at him as he prowled further into the room. She took a step back for every step he took forward. Quickly she rounded the desk, putting more space in between them. She was honestly concerned about his state of mind.

"Link, you can't be serious!"

He grinned, lips pulled back to reveal startling white teeth. "Call me Dark Link."

She pursed her lips. "_Link_," she pressed, "Now is really not a good time. Your…" she waved her hand in a circular motion, searching for the word, "shenanigans will just have to wait."

His smile never wavered, but Zelda could see that the glint in his eyes dulled a fraction. "That's the thing," he replied darkly, "I no longer care. You, my lovely little queen, are coming with me whether you like it or not."

Was he seriously being serious? _Seriously_?!

Looking at him it was clear that he was not going to budge an inch. At that moment Zelda should have blasted him clear across the room, let him hit the wall and knock him out. Should have…but didn't. Some part of her thought she could still make Link see reason, and another part of her agonized over hurting Link in any way. With those two reasons combined she resorted to do the only thing she could…guilt him back to normal.

She took another step back at his movement forward. The back of her knees bumped against the sofa and she let herself fall onto it. She made her eyes go as wide as possible then hitched her shoulder, placing her hands above her chest. "Link…please, you're frightening me."

His grin broadened. "You're not frightened. It takes far more than this to scare you," he rumbled, drawing ever closer. It took all Zelda had not to cringe away from him. "And it's Dark Link, remember."

Zelda huffed and thrust her hands on her hips. "I'm warning you. If you don't stop this right now-"

Her breath caught as he leaned over her, arms situated on either side of her head, snaring her against the sofa. He brought his face close to hers, noses touching. "You'll what?" he whispered suavely.

Zelda swallowed, all thoughts fleeing from her mind.

Where had this come from? He was being so brazen, so forward with her… She loved it!

Her eyes unconsciously settled on his lips, inches away from her, and longed to nibble on them.

The shouts resonating down the corridors brought her back to focus and she shoved against his shoulders, whining when he would not budge. "Liiiiink!"

If only he wasn't so heavy then this would be easier. Curse him and his delayed growth spurt!

Zelda missed his hand ducking into the folds of his cloak but caught sight of it as it withdrew, holding something enclosed in his fingers.

"Clearly you're having trouble with your memory," he said, raising the curled appendage up. "It's Dark Link."

He threw his hand down, releasing the object in his grasp and covering his mouth with his sleeve. Instantly a cloud of white smoke shot up and Zelda inhaled it with a gasp. She was rendered into a fit of coughing as the smoke invaded her lungs. All at once her vision blurred, her muscles weakened, and her thinking became hazy and slow.

From far away she felt something grab her wrists and then her body suddenly turned over. She was turned back around and then the floor disappeared and she found herself floating in midair.

The cloud thinned and she breathed in the clean air, her senses slowly returning to her. Windows and doors passed in a flash, everything else was a blur of grey. It took a few more seconds than normal for her mind to process that Link was running through the castle with her slumped in his arms.

She shifted and tried to smash her fist against his chest, only she couldn't find it. It took a bit more weak squirming and wriggling to discovers both her arms folded behind her back, attached at the wrists. He'd bound her._ He'd bound her!_

Of all the impudent-

She lost track of where she was going with that thought, but it would come to her… eventually.

Link abruptly spun around after he'd turned down a corridor and almost ran into a pack of soldiers. "Whoops, wrong way," he remarked.

The cries of the soldiers followed him as he pelted down the hall.

"There he is!"

"He's got the queen!"

"Stop him!"

Link laughed as he flew down a set of stairs. He sounded as if he was having the time of his life, as if this was the most fun he'd had in ages. It must have brought him back to the good old days when running for his life had been a daily occurrence. Typical, only Link would find amusement in that. Well, maybe it was amusing because he outclassed them by far.

Goddesses, but he did make a shame of her soldiers.

Indignant on their behalf, Zelda resorted to making things as difficult for him as she could by wriggling in his grasp. Anything to give her poor soldiers a bit of an edge.

He tightened his grip as he growled at her, "Stop that, you're going to make me drop you."

"Good," she murmured and wriggled some more.

Link groaned and ducked inside an alcove. The guards who had been chasing them shot right past without seeing them. Link looked both ways to make sure there were no lurkers then looked down at her. "It's either you stop, or I throw you over my shoulder and carry you that way."

Zelda stiffened and shot him a weak glare. "You…wouldn't..."

His grin was one of promise. "Try me."

With a huff of dismay, Zelda settled compliantly into his arms. Link adjusted his hold on her so that her head lay in the crook of his neck, then dove out of hiding, heading once more for the exit.

It occurred to her that she was clever, she should have been able to come up with some sort of argument against him, or tricked him into letting her go… but as was considerably more apparent as time lapsed there was something wrong with her cognitive functions at the moment. Her logic and reasoning had been affected somehow and she'd bet her rupees on that infernal smoke cloud. A suppressant of some sort.

It made her frustrated to think that he had gotten the better of her, that he had tricked her so easily.

"Link…I'll…throw you in...dungeons…so help me…"

He chuckled lowly as he reached a set of ornate doors. "I don't think you're in any position to be making threats," he said lightly. "Besides, you can't even pick me up, how will you be able to throw me in the dungeons?"

Darn it, he was right. He was far too heavy for her.

…Wait a minute. She had meant that as a figure of speech, hadn't she?

Before she could announce this, Link shifted her so that he could free his hand and shove open the door. They were in the ballroom. Link had only to cut across then make his way down one last set of stairs before they were out of the castle.

Now, if he'd trained her soldiers properly the alarm would have sounded and they would have barred all exits, efficiently trapping him within the castle grounds. He was going to be caught no matter what, and she'd enjoy coming up with a good punishment for him once her mental faculties returned to normal.

Link was halfway across the room when a frigid voice roared at him.

"Sir Link! What in all of Hyrule is the meaning of this!"

Zelda inwardly winced, recognizing the voice as belonging to Lord Raleigh. Instantly she felt a pang of pity for Link…wait, no! He was being an idiot, and doing idiotic things; he deserved to be put in his place. She was on Lord Raleigh's side!

She tried to convince herself of this as Link narrowed an irritated glare at the minister. He gave a light shrug. "You can take this as a rescue or a kidnap. In any case, I'm taking the queen out of the castle to breathe a little," he said snidely and smirked. "Didn't you know? She was suffocating in that office of hers. Too bad some sour-faced old tyrant wouldn't allow me to check on her."

Lord Raleigh's face was fast turning red, until even the tips of his pointed ears were flushed. "The audacity! I command you to release her majesty this instant!"

Link flashed a smirk and flung out his arm. "Command this!"

There was a small clash as something hit the ground at the minister's feet then a blast of familiar white smoke filled the area. Lord Raleigh fell to his knees, thrown into a fit of coughs and trembling to support his weight on his arms. Zelda sympathized with him. She knew the feeling.

Link took this opportunity to make his escape. In two minutes flat he broke out of the castle only to encounter a whole new problem.

The soldiers must have just finished their training for the day for they were all geared up and looking to have come directly from the training yard, blood flowing and energized. A knight stood at the head, Sir Ryan of Vallice. He was a large man, headstrong and cocky, and had always been somewhat jealous of Link's prowess.

He waved his sword in front of him, a cunning smile adorning his face. "Hah, I knew it! When I heard you had gone mad and broken into the castle I knew that you were finally showing your true colours."

Zelda looked over the large knight then looked up at Link. The soldiers stood between him and the castle gate. She wondered what Link would do now. As much as she wanted him to be caught, Sir Ryan was the last person she wanted doing the capturing. This small chance at besting Link would make him unbearable for weeks, not to mention Link's pride would be mortally wounded. They shared a mutual dislike of one another. Link had been reluctant initially choosing Ryan as one of the knights, but even he had to admit that Ryan was brilliant with a sword and knew his battle stratagems. Not picking him would have been a show of bias, and a foolish action.

Zelda felt herself moved upright, toes lightly touching the ground as Link wound an arm tightly around her waist. He reached for something at his belt with his free hand, and spoke lowly, "I prefer to call it a different side of me."

Sir Ryan smirked. "Nevertheless, you've shown your true self. I have no choice but to stop you. 'Tis the dungeons for you!"

Link let out a loud "Hah!" then aimed his arm upward and pressed the trigger of his clawshot. It clanged as it gripped onto a point above the ramparts and retracted. Zelda felt herself leave the ground and zip through the air, releasing a squeal that was half fearful and half delighted.

The soldiers gaped as they whooshed over their heads and landed on the wall.

From below, Sir Ryan snarled with rage. "Well what are you fools waiting for? After him! Don't let him get away!"

There was a thundering as dozens of boots pounded up the stairs on either side of them. Link swooped his arm beneath her legs and returned to cradling her. He then stepped onto the ledge.

He cast her a wry grin. "Don't scream now."

Then he catapulted over the side. Zelda's breath left her - almost joined by her lunch - as they lurched downward and slammed sharply onto one of the town's rooftops. He ran then jumped to another lower roof, then another before eventually he alighted on a balcony beside a hefty Goron.

"Oi, Link. You here for a visit?"

"Another time," Link replied, without breaking stride. "I'm a tad occupied here."

Link barged into the building and descended a flight of wooden stairs then burst out the doors at the bottom. They had arrived to the town square. A stunning red mare waited for them on the cobbles. Link didn't hesitate to swing them both up and onto her back, slipping his feet in the stirrups. He gripped the Epona's flanks with his knees, and, reaching around Zelda, snapped the reigns.

Epona neighed and soared down the streets on a direct route to Hyrule Field. People jumped out the way as they came charging through.

Zelda buried her face in Link's cloak, hoping that no one would recognize her. Knowing her luck, they were bound to. Who else would Link be carting off in such a ridiculous manner? Certainly not Ashei, nor that Ilia girl, she had more sense than to fall for one of Link's stupid tricks. Sense that Zelda apparently lacked.

They were moments away from escaping Castle Town. Word mustn't have reached the outer battlements yet for the gates were wide open, the guards unsuspecting. Link kicked Epona's flanks, spurring her faster.

Zelda blinked in astonishment. He was actually going to make it… He was actually going to succeed in this kidnapping heist. It was inconceivable, she was the most protected person in all of Hyrule, it shouldn't have been possible. But it was happening…

She gazed up at Link, wonderingly. He had a huge smile on his face, his eyes gleaming with profound delight. He caught her stare and winked at her.

Her heart hammered erratically in her chest.

Movement flickered in the corner of her eye. Zelda looked over his shoulder to see a group of mounted knights chasing after them. Shouts were delivered and the streets cleared rapidly before them.

"Link…"

"I know," he said, a note of laughter in his voice. "Once we reach the field they'll not stand a chance."

This she knew positively well. Epona had to be one of the fastest and most courageous horses she'd ever had the privilege of knowing. Even burdened with two people on her back she'd been able to keep up with Ganondorf's black stallion as they had chased across the field.

Zelda once again looked back at the knights, noting that some of them were equipped with bows and arrows. They wouldn't dare fire them, though. They couldn't risk injuring her so they were probably reserved for the foul beasts that still roamed the fields.

She heard the voice of Sir Ryan calling out from behind them. "Close the gates!"

Link leaned forward and, as if sensing the urgency in the motion, Epona drew on a spurt of speed and they flew past the gates, hoofs pounding on stone. She leapt down two short stairwells before reaching the green turf at the Southern Hyrule Field.

Link whooped and Epona neighed loudly, thrilled by the run. Zelda smiled despite herself.

However, they were not yet free. The clopping of hooves announced the quick approach of their pursuers.

"To Faron woods!" shouted Link, bracing her tightly against him. "We'll lose them in the trees."

It took an hour of straight running to breach the outskirts of the forest, another hour and the knights that pursued them were effectively thwarted and Zelda was severely lost. She'd been to the woods on many occasions whether out riding or on the hunt, however she'd never been able to memorize it as well as Link. He had a special knack for direction. He could pass a grove for the first time and be able to find it again weeks later without any assistance but for a keen mental map.

Link slowed Epona to a canter, patting her neck and whispering words of endearment to her, promising a pile of apples for her good work. He had thrown back his hood, revealing golden-brown locks of hair, which contrasted brightly against his dark attire.

He must have put a lot of thought into planning this. She wondered where he'd ever gotten the idea in the first place. He certainly couldn't have come up with it on his own, could he?

It was difficult to imagine Link as a villainous figure. The trepidation she'd felt for him as he had cornered her in her office hadn't been the same horrifying feeling that Ganondorf instilled in her, nor the repulsive one from Zant. Her fear for Link had been more excitement. He had been full of promise and adventure; it was thrilling.

By this time Zelda's mind had totally cleared of the effects of the smoke and she was able to speak without stammering.

"Where are we going?" She surveyed the woods, looking for a path or any break in the trees. She didn't recognize anything around her and that unsettled her.

Link braced her as Epona hopped over a log. "To my evil lair, of course."

She rolled her eyes. "Really, Link. Are you still going on about that?"

"Ah ah ah, it's Dark Link."

She smiled, batting her lashes, and pressed up against him. Her cheek rested on his chest as she gazed up at him, eyelids lowered enticingly. She spoke, breath ghosting across his face, "You'll always be Link to me."

Link fought to keep his composure but inevitably failed. His cheeks took on a rosy tint and he tore his eyes away to veer off into the woods. "Fine."

Zelda grinned widely, and trailed her lips teasingly along his neck. "Good."

He sighed and smiled at the sensation. "You make me into a poor villain."

"Oh silly. It doesn't matter to me how wealthy you are."

Link smirked and squeezed her around the middle. "You devious little thing."

She laughed lightly and nuzzled his collar as his hand moved up to hug her around her shoulders. All this activity had sufficiently worn her out. It felt like years since she'd had a good rest. All she wanted to do was sleep.

"Tell me when we get there."

"I will."

At last she let her eyes close and drifted off into blissful slumber.

* * *

Zelda awoke to the feeling of being laid down on something soft. The rope tying her hands was cut off and fingers massaged lightly into the faint bruises on her wrists. She sighed and fluttered her eyes open.

"Sorry for waking you." Link leaned over, pressing a kiss to her lips.

She would have liked it to last longer, but he quickly pulled away. Lazily she propped herself up on her elbows, eyeing him as he leaned a shoulder on the bedpost, crossing his arms.

Zelda sat up and rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Where are we?"

"We're at Ivy Manor, in Faron province."

"Ivy Manor?" she said curiously. "Isn't that the estate you were granted upon your knighthood?"

"Yes," replied Link. "And thanks to my staff it has been kept clean and proper for me while I've been staying in the castle. I don't normally come out to visit, but there are occasions when the forests beckon to me. Don't worry. They all know about the situation and have taken an oath of silence. If your nuisance knights do discover our hiding spot they'll have not learned it from the servants."

She scoffed, "Of course not, they'll learn about it from the records. It's written under your name, after all."

"Ah, but not many know that I even have my own estate so they'll not think to look through the records. Chances are they'll go to Ordon and search there. It's what I'm counting on."

Zelda smiled. "Touché, good sir." She swept her gaze around the room, taking in the grandeur of it. The walls were painted a soft viridian, coupled with wood brown borders, which matched the furniture scattered about the room. The bed was a large four-poster, spread with a grass green blanket with deeper green swirling designs. It was warm and it was homey, perfectly suited for Hyrule's gallant hero turned villain.

"So now what do we do?"

Link pushed off the bedpost and thrust out a pointed digit at her. "Now, you sleep."

From her place on the bed, Zelda looked up at him incredulously.

"What?" he asked.

Zelda peered at him queerly as if he'd magically transformed into a new subspecies of dodongo. "Go to sleep? You kidnap me, take me from my castle and bring me all the way out here just so that I could sleep?"

He snorted, "Well you weren't doing it there."

"I _have_ been sleeping, as a matter of fact."

Link frowned. "Not properly, and definitely not as long as you should be."

Zelda wrinkled her nose up and sniffed, "Fine, if it will please you."

Link nodded. "It will."

"I'll take a short nap."

He threw his hands up. "No. Zelda I want you to get a fitful rest. I banish you to this chamber until you are energized and fully functional again. And stable."

She gaped at him, moving toward the edge of the bed. "Excuse me! Are you saying I've been in a foul mood lately?"

Link snorted in amusement. "The crabbiest queen in the country."

"Argh! You are the most insufferable, ignoble brute that I've ever met."

He only smiled at her. "I do make a good villain, don't I? I've always felt that there was some darkness inside of me."

Her anger abruptly flushed away as cool amusement took its place. "Ah, of course. That is why you were given the title 'hero' after all."

He laughed. "You think that every little decision I made on my quest to free Hyrule was done with good ethics in mind? Let me see, countless occasions of breaking and entering, there's thievery, I terrorized but that only worked in wolf form, I burned down a house once – but in my defense I don't think anyone was living in it - a whole slew of killing. I'm a mass murderer you know."

"You've defeated monsters who were liable to lay waste to Hyrule itself. That is a deed of valor," she defended. "And besides, it was in battle, or self defense I hope?" She quirked an inquisitive brow at him.

He shrugged offhandedly. "Some of them." Before she could open her mouth to rebuke him, he cut her off. "And vandalism. I've lost count of how many pots I've smashed to pieces."

Zelda nodded sagely, tapping a pondering finger to her chin. "Ah, the greatest of criminal offenses. My council would have you tossed in the dungeons for that one crime alone. Perhaps even go so far as to see you hanged? The world would be free from fear of you smashing their pots. Your list of criminal activities do know no bounds."

Link grinned down at her wickedly. "And now I can add abduction to that increasingly growing list."

"Beast," she said, hiding a smile.

He laughed. "Don't you know it. Now seriously, get some sleep. I'll have a servant wake you for dinner."

Zelda lay back on the mattress, flinging her arms above her. "Very well, if it will appease you." She shuffled under the covers and allowed Link to tuck her in very motherly-like.

He kissed her softly on the cheek before leaving. "Rest well."

She snuggled into her pillow, clutching her blankets tight around her. Maybe this was what she needed. A break from everything; some time for herself without having to worry about the countless meetings she had to attend and her endless supply of paperwork.

Zelda had nodded off before he even crossed the threshold.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wow, I was surprised by how much response this received, and its only been a week! I guess lots of people just needed the fluff ^^. **

**Thank you for reviewing: shadowneko003, A True NaZaMi Fan, Catnip101, Generala, Nintendoes Gamer, ShadowQueenMidna, pokemonwhite2, Link'sLily, ultimateCCC, VOID115, undeadVivisector, and Bloodspire!**

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

They were in for it now.

It didn't matter that not all of them had been there to partake in the capture of Link as he had raised the castle to hysterics – in broad daylight no less - they'd all heard about what had happened. Lord Raleigh had called an urgent meeting in the council room whereupon he summoned the best of the Hyrulean knights to submit to his ranting and restless pacing.

Unsurprisingly he had many bad things to say about Link. Hadrian was among the ones who had found the minister in a pathetic state staggering down the hall from the ballroom. He had good reason to be mad, Link had done an awful thing, yet he couldn't help but understand. Link only sought to do what he thought was best for the queen. Heaven knows he was the only one who could get away with it.

Hadrian couldn't say that he ever expected Link to have the nerve to pull something like this, though. In hindsight, he should have known something was up at the other man's call of 'that's it', and from the suspiciousness that ensued afterwards. Partially, it was his fault for indirectly giving him the idea, even if it had been unintentional. But he wasn't going to fess up to that. He didn't want in incur Lord Raleigh's wrath.

Lord Raleigh came to a stop next to the table and slammed his fist down, causing some of the more nervous knights to jolt. Hadrian shifted uneasily, trying not to fidget under the glare that was directed at them.

"Are you telling me, Sir Ryan, that you allowed him to escape? You lost him in the woods? Are there none of you here who can track? Do we not have hounds to hunt him down?" the minister spat, enraged.

Eyes turned to Sir Ryan who rubbed the back of his neck, bashfully, his helmet tucked under his arm. "Sir Link was born and raised in the woodlands. He is like a cunning keaton, able to conceal his tracks and find the means to hide his scent. There was a stream further in that he must have crossed many times to fool us, also there were places where he had backtracked. The dogs have been run into the ground trying to locate him. We've been searching all night and well into the morning."

Lord Raleigh made a sound of agitation. "I'm surrounded by incompetent fools!" he shot, stroking his beard.

All at once the door banged open and they all turned as a pair of light footsteps entered the room.

Decked out in casual attire, Ashei waltzed in, unheeding of the nasty glare the minister sent her. She took her place in the semi circle next to Hadrian and another knight. Planting a hand on her hip, she gave them all a coy smile.

"Sorry for being late, yeah. I was at the pub when the message arrived. Got held up by some sleazy man who wanted to get a bit too touchy feely. Had to knock him a good one before I came, yeah."

Dame Ashei was currently the only female knight in Hyrule. Her part in the resistance had opened many doors for her and she had quickly made herself at home in the barracks until Link chose her for knighthood. It was to be noted that Hadrian may have been the first _man_ Link had chosen, but Ashei was the first _person_ to be chosen as a knight of the new order.

She had a no nonsense attitude about her and delighted in trouncing any knight who mocked her for her gender. On one of these occasions the unfortunate knight at the time so happened to open his mouth in the presence of her majesty, who took the jab at a personal level, obviously still sore at the whole Twilight Invasion. Instead of Dame Ashei doing the trouncing, Queen Zelda had personally sought to make an example of him, and in the process managed to break three of his bones and litter his arms and legs with angry red punishing welts. They were all used to their queen being an excellent swordswoman, but she was the monarch and it was expected of her to be formidable. It had been more difficult to wrap their heads around other women being proficient in swordplay as well. Needless to say, not a word had been spoken against warriors of the feminine persuasion since then.

Lord Raleigh glared at her for the rude interruption and cleared his throat.

"As I was saying, you are the Knights of Hyrule, I expected better from you!" He continued on with his rant and Hadrian only half-listened to him.

Suddenly he felt a pointy elbow jab him in the ribs.

"What's up, yeah?" Ashei said quietly, inclining her head at the minister. "I have no clue what he's talking about."

Wincing, he massaged the smarting area and sighed, "Sir Link is what's up."

She blinked then chuckled. "Should have guessed. He's the only one who can drive old Raleigh into a frenzy," she said brightly. "I wonder what he did this time, yeah."

"I'll tell you what he did," Lord Raleigh cut into their silent conversation, eyes blazing. "_Sir_ Link invaded the castle, broke into the queen's private office, after I specifically banned him from the area, and abducted our devout ruler!"

A pause. Then Ashei's mouth broke into a face-eating smile. "Well about damn time."

The minister looked at her appalled while the knights all tensed. "What are you saying? This is dreadful! It's treasonous, that's what it is!"

Ashei eyed him with thinly veiled amusement. "Wasn't it you who kept on pushing the two of them together? I say they should have run off together a long _long_ time ago."

Lord Raleigh frowned. "They haven't run off with each other…well, I mean they have... And I only do so because it would curtail the rumors of all their acts of public indecency. Heavens know that's all I ever hear at court these days."

One of the other knights, Sir Walter DeVale, cleared his throat. "Pardon my saying, but they're not just rumors, milord. Almost everyone has caught them…in…the act…" He wilted under the firm glare Lord Raleigh was sending him.

"I don't care what they are," the minister hissed. "It's scandalous!"

Ashei smiled, obviously enjoying herself. "Yeah, and most of the court thrives on scandal."

It was true, Hadrian mused. As long as it possessed the notion of romance Hyruleans positively adored scandal, the more scandalous the better, and having royalty involved only added to the appeal. They were actually more likely to _support_ the couple opposing propriety and outright go against anyone who stood in their way.

The minister made a wild gesture. "Sir Link kidnapped her, don't you see the travesty of the act?"

Ashei shrugged. "If it gets the job done, why not, yeah?"

Many of the other knights nodded and murmured agreement. Lord Raleigh, though, was not amused. He drew a tense hand through long dark hair, shoulders abruptly slumping.

He twirled around to look out the window, stroking his short beard. "The assignment the queen was working on is one of great importance. Hyrule's wellbeing rides on its completion. If a concession cannot be made, or if the queen is absent for the meeting then the Terminians may see it for the disrespect that it is and the whole alliance is forfeit."

Ashei was silenced. "Well damn, that's not good."

The minister scoffed, "Indeed it is not. In addition I received a missive yesterday morning. The Terminians wish to speed up the negotiations and demanded that the meeting be held sooner."

Swallowing thickly, Hadrian asked the pressing question, "And when is it to be held?"

Lord Raleigh sighed and rubbed his temples in evident dread. "A week's time."

A curse from Ashei – the most unchivalrous of the knights – and resounding exclamations of shock from the other knights filled the room.

The minister levelled them all with a stern gaze. "Ride hard, Knights of Hyrule. Either the queen is found, or we lose a potential ally."

* * *

Zelda awoke the next morning to persistent stomach pangs. It took her a moment to realize that Link hadn't woken her for supper – probably hadn't wanted to disturb her sleeping, the dear - and that she was positively starving.

Pulling aside the covers she got up and searched the room. Now, if Link had planned this as well as she assumed he had, there would be…ah! Upon opening a wardrobe she discovered several drawers full of feminine clothing, more than she'd ever be able to wear in a week.

…How long was Link planning to keep her here?

Shrugging, she gathered up a bundle and headed towards the bathroom where a large ornate tub was situated in the center, mounted on four sturdy clawed feet. With a wave of her hand the tub filled with water, another wave saw steam rising as it bubbled softly.

She placed her items on a chair and picked out the womanly lotions she found next to those meant for a man.

She left the door open a crack just in case Link returned and panicked or something at finding her gone, then began to wash.

After her bath she dressed for the day, donning a blue sundress and magically dried her hair. She then padded barefooted out into the hall, determined to find something to eat.

The manor was larger than she thought it would be. She found to her delight that the rest of the interior was just as beautifully decorated as her room had been, displaying soft colored browns and greens, giving it an overall spring feel.

It was abnormally quiet. Didn't Link say he had servants somewhere around? The estate had come with a full staff and she was relieved to know that he hadn't fired them.

She smiled, recalling back to when she had had to force the manor onto him in order for him to accept it. He had been overwhelmed by the rewards he'd received due to his heroic deeds. Along with his title and new estate, money had been thrust on him as well, so much that he had no idea what to do with it all except to donate to various causes, which only gained him more love from the people. Initially he had outright refused anything, above all the manor was something he never wanted. He positively hated the idea of having servants at his beck and call, tending to his every need. Eventually he had come around when Zelda had pointed out that they needed to earn their bread somehow. It may have convinced him, but he still didn't like it.

Finding Link proved to be a difficult task. His house was of a newer fashion, not like the older models, which were built with an overall similar architecture and design. Eventually, however, she found him in the lounge, seated on one of the sofas, a book in hand as he ate his breakfast. Thankfully he'd rid himself of his dark clothes in favor of more colorful ones that better suited him.

She knocked lightly on the wall next to the door and let herself in.

Link raised his head, spotted her, and jumped to his feet. "Zelda! You're awake already?"

She smiled and sauntered in. "I've had the first full night's sleep I've had in a while. I'm well rested… And stable, thank you."

She moved to the sofa and plopped down in the place he'd vacated. Link folded the corner of his page and closed his book, placing it on a side table as he sat down next to her. He grabbed her hands in his. "You certain you don't want to sleep for longer?"

She groaned, tearing her hands away and sinking into the cushion. "Link, I don't need more sleep. I'm tired of sleep. What I need now is some sustenance. And maybe a turn around those lovely gardens I spotted from the window on my way down here."

Spying his plate of heaven-scented food, she pulled it closer, took up his fork, and dug in.

Link frowned at her, wrinkling up his nose in consternation. "Help yourself then."

Zelda looked at him with a raised brow. "That's what I'm doing." There was a hint of a smile at her lips and Link crossed his arms, staunchly turning away.

"You can always ring for your own plate to be brought up."

She made a show of savoring his fried cuccoo eggs. "So could you."

He drew a hand through his hair. "Why do I even bother?" He pushed up from the sofa then traversed the span of the room to a chord hanging on the wall. He gave it a sharp tug then waited, all the while glaring at her. Zelda just smiled and carried on eating. After a few minutes there was a knock at the door and a servant appeared. Link spoke to her briefly then returned to the sofa.

He plopped down close to her and Zelda snuggled into his side, still eating. He just couldn't help being near her, could he? Not even when he was pretending to be mad at her.

Zelda licked the fork clean then set aside the empty plate. It hadn't been enough to fill her up, but she'd be sated for the next hour or so.

Leaving the warmth of his side, she stood and patted down her dress. "Alright. So when are we to be off?"

Link looked up at her questioningly. "Be off? Off to where?"

She motioned with her hand. "Back to the castle of course. You've staged this abduction so that I could catch a respite from the arduous labors of running the country. Well, I am rested. I'm ready to return to the castle to continue on with my duties."

There was a sudden shift in his demeanor, one that immediately caught her focus and sent warning signals in her mind. He dipped his chin and sent her a searing grin. "Oh no, my queen. You're staying right here."

She blinked at him in shock then furrowed her brows in a glare. "Excuse me?"

Link merely threw his arms over the backrest of the sofa, crossed his legs and smirked up at her.

Of all the stubborn men in Hyrule she just had to fall in love with the most stubborn of the lot! "Game's over, Link. Take me back."

"If this is a game, Zelda, then I am its creator. I make the rules and everyone else follows them," he said, eyes glinting. "I'll tell you when you've had enough of a respite. We're not going anywhere unless I say so. Consider this a vacation."

Zelda struggled to find a suitable response, although the mention of a vacation did sound wonderful, despite it being forced.

"We're going to have a lot of fun, you and I," he drawled. "So let's play."

Breathing in deeply to calm herself, Zelda let the air out slowly and looked at him, trying not to let his handsome visage corrupt her. Gingerly, she lowered herself next to him, his arm falling automatically over her shoulder, thumb rubbing the skin idly.

She sighed, relenting. "Very well. What would you have us do?"

Link smiled wickedly and Zelda gulped, taking in the pure predatory look of him. He was handsome beyond belief. Not in a rugged way that one would expect of a vagabond, nor did he cut the dashing figure of a knight in shining armor – although he was still very dashing. Link's looks were more poised and angular, like the noble wolf he'd run around Hyrule as.

"First off, we need to establish some rules," said Link, bouncing his leg, fingers drumming a cadence on her arm. "First rule, no magic."

Well that put a significant damper on her mood. Reluctantly she nodded. "Carry on."

"Second, no trying to escape."

At this she gazed at him incredulously. "So you are to do whatever means necessary to be a credible villain, while I am to remain your pliant prisoner? I cannot even attempt to escape?"

Link held up a finger. "Absolutely not."

She leaned back in the sofa, crossing her arms in a huff. "Fine. In return for my compliancy, I have a request to make."

Link peered at her warily as if expecting her to pull a trick. "And what may that be?"

Zelda stared hard at him, showing that she was being absolutely serious. "I will indulge you on this, so long as we return to the castle by evening of the fifth day. You will-"

She squeaked as his large body suddenly swooped over her. He pressed himself against her in a vivid reenactment of last day in the office. Deep blue eyes met wide teal as they stared into one another. He whispered coarsely, nose rubbing along her cheek. "Who are you to make demands of me?"

Zelda stammered, heart beating wildly as she failed to catch her breath. "I – I am your queen…"

He laughed lowly and met her lips with his own. Zelda was helpless as she succumbed to the kiss, angling her head for better access. She fisted her hands in the front of his tunic, letting out a pleased moan as he pulled her closer, chests meshing together. His left hand trailed over her face, caressing her cheek before sliding along her neck, over her shoulder and down her arm. His fingers tangled in her strap and he gently pulled it down, casually tracing the slight curve of her bicep.

Zelda reached her hands up and wound her arms around his neck in a demand for more. She teased the strands of hair at his nape. Her arms suddenly clenched around him when he took her bottom lip in between his teeth and started sucking.

She sighed at the sensation, a never ceasing torment, yet so blissful. If she could do anything to make this moment last forever she'd do it in a heartbeat.

She barely noticed when her other strap was pulled down, nor when he moved so that one of his knees was on the sofa digging into the side of her hip in a half straddle. He was pushed even more onto her, but that still wasn't enough. Almost frantically he took her by the waist and dragged her up, their bodies flushed together, no space left in between.

After a while of heated kissing they were forced to part to catch their breaths.

Zelda, panted, her eyes fluttering close as he kissed along her neck then licked her ear, tongue tracing along the curve until it reached her pointed tip then traveled back down. All the while Zelda could do nothing but relish in the sensation.

His low husky voice penetrated her senses. "Agreed."

She blinked open her eyes, vision hazy as she stared at him in confusion. "Wh-what?"

He laughed and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. "Time to play."

Drawing back he clashed their lips together, his hands running all over her in a quest to explore every inch of her body. They breathed hard through their noses, unwilling to part. Zelda felt herself being laid down as assured fingers found the ties at the back of her dress and undid them with expert ease.

He kissed along her jaw and Zelda threw back her head, granting him better access. The room became saturated with the heady scent of arousal, gaining a heat that had nothing to do with the warming weather.

Her dress split open in the back as Link finished with the ties, then plunged his hand down to stroke the bare skin, earning soft whimpers of contentment. Oh Goddesses...his calloused hands on her felt like heaven. Never stop. She never wanted this to end...

The moment was shattered when a lively voice filled the room.

"Sir Link? I've brought what you've requested."

Zelda squealed and shoved him off of her, yanking up her straps and holding the front of her dress in place. Link quickly grabbed the curve of the backrest to prevent from falling over then righted himself, absently straightening his tunic.

A maid in a simple green frock stood at the door, carrying a silver bowl and wearing the largest smile ever seen on a human face.

The maid seemingly paid no mind to their rumpled states of dress, or to the fact that both of them were in the process of reassembling their composures. Rather, her eyes appeared to twinkle brighter at the sight.

"There was no answer when I knocked," she said lightly, practically bouncing forward, "so I figured you wanted me to come right on in."

Zelda hastily reached her arms back to tie up her dress as Link scooted back on the sofa a respectable distance away from her, smoothing his rumpled hair.

He coughed nervously into his fist. "Thank you, Cilla. You may leave it at the table." He gestured to the small side table that held the dirty breakfast dishes.

Cilla cast them a sly smile before crossing the room and placing the bowl down, meticulously arranging it in the very center of the table. She indicated to the finished meal. "Shall I take these with me?"

"Go ahead," said Link, miffed at her obvious stalling.

Despite the mortifying situation, Zelda couldn't help but giggle at the hilarity of it. She stopped quickly once Link sent her a stern look, inwardly though she was still cackling.

At the sight of the bowl her curiosity piqued. "What is that you brought?"

Cilla turned to her and beamed. "Strawberries, you majesty. They're Sir Link's favorite. He always orders them when he comes to visit." She gave her a wink then swaggered to the door and whirled around. "Anything more you need?"

Link groaned and dragged a hand over his face. "No. Go awaaaay."

Cilla curtsied. "As you wish." Leisurely she left the room and very slowly closed the door. Only after they heard that final click did they allow themselves to relax.

Link scooted closer on the sofa and she let him gather her up in his warm embrace, leaning her head against his chest and drumming her fingers on the hard muscle.

"Your servants are very precocious. Do they emulate their master in that regard?" she asked with wry amusement.

She squeaked as his fingers abruptly dug into her sides. "Cheeky little… No, unfortunately Cilla came that way." He snorted. "And the others are no different. They all have their quirks."

Tensed for another attack, Zelda carefully watched her words, "I can see that becoming a bit of a bother in the future." She scrunched her brow in thought. "Why did she show such lack of concern? It was…," at this Zelda blushed deeply, "quite obvious…what we were doing."

"Knowing Cilla, she's probably excited to gossip about it with her friends," he replied, stroking her hair. "When I told them that I was bringing the queen out for a steamy raunch in the woods this is just what they expected. Don't be surprised if we're interrupted at random. They'll do anything for some juicy gossip."

Her face flushed further and she balked at the implications. "You told them _that_!"

He shrugged. "They were all for it. Over eager I'd say."

Oh, how she'd love to wipe that cocky grin off his face. He may have the power here in the manor – and only because she allowed him to have it – but once they were back in the castle she'd make sure he regretted it. All his manipulative scheming, his coerciveness and forceful methods, and those Goddess forsaken attractive blue eyes that she couldn't say no to…

Darn, he was doing it again. Looking at her in that way that made her insides melt and heart glow all at once. Sometimes she thought it seemed as if he wielded his dashing good looks like a weapon. In which case it was super effective…

"Now…," Link purred, plucking a plump red strawberry from the bowl, he held it up to her, grinning like a wolf. "Strawberry?"

* * *

After the entire bowl of strawberries had been devoured with great enthusiasm, Link took Zelda to see the garden.

They were a complete contrast to the gardens at the castle. While hers were all neat and orderly, every bush clipped to perfect shape, the rosebushes pruned, and trees planted in appealing patterns around the grounds, the gardens at Ivy manor were wild and untamed, almost blending with the woods, the walls separating them covered thickly in vines. Up along the exterior of the manor Zelda was given light to the reason of the name. Ivy vines climbed up the walls in streaks of green. She imagined they'd be easy to climb. A pity she had made Link that promise about not escaping.

In her light dress it wasn't hard navigating the garden, she'd traversed worse in full battle regalia, however she let Link help her around anyways. He took her by the hand, pushing brambles and hanging branches out of their path, all the while they spoke of little things. A few times she purposefully let herself trip on a loose stone or fallen branch just so that he would reach out and catch her, his hand lingering around her waist before moving to her lower back and remaining there for the rest of their walk.

There was one area of the garden where a small pond was situated, above which arched a wooden bridge. They stood on it and leaned over the rail, admiring the small colorful fish swimming beneath them, their talk never ceasing.

Zelda turned her focus of admiration to him, feeling the adoration swell up inside her. He spoke with great exuberance, gesturing with his hands as he played out some of the antics of the soldiers he trained.

She propped her arms up on the railing and leaned over, watching him with an unwavering gaze.

He spoke so much now. He was not at all like the shy and silent warrior she'd asked for assistance to defeat Ganondorf. Back then he had been sweet and kind. It would have never crossed his mind to try his hand at playing the villain. Back then the world had been light and dark, with few shades in between.

She had to admit, she liked his character as he was now. He was unbearable at times, stubborn and willful, but he was also charming in a wild sort of way. It was no surprise that he'd captured her heart. Zelda loved him as he was, faults and all.

When at last there was a pause in his speech, she leaned up and kissed him.

* * *

**So cutesy! *hides face and blushes***

**Something to clarify. When Sir Walter said that "everyone has caught them in the act", he doesn't actually mean that people have caught them going at it, rather that they've been caught snogging and feeling each other up (basically everything but having sex, lol).**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to all my reviewers: ultimateCCC, Nintendoes Gamer, A True NaZaMi Fan, WolfishLink, Lady . Zayriah, Guest, KEN, Mini, Generala, Lilac Gemani, Diva, Bloodspire, Astercia, ShadowQueenMidna, and EllaSwanson, and for everyone who added this to their favorite or alert list!**

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

Zelda was conscious by the time the first rays of the sun cast blinding shafts of light into the room, creating an orangy tint over the lids of her eyes. Her arms were gently pried off her source of warmth and the bed rose, indicating Link's departure.

That was fine. She cuddled more into the blankets and continued to sleep, chest rising and falling with each shallow breath.

She was exhausted. After last night's activities she wanted nothing but to stay in bed all day.

She heard the creak of the door and then the soft padding of footsteps as someone crossed the room, carrying the clean scent of soap and sandalwood. The bed dipped, fingers caressed her face, trailing along the curve of her cheek.

Zelda sighed in bliss.

"Zelda, it's time to get up."

She pretended not to have heard him, but then he gently shook her shoulder and her eyes accidently slipped open. She shut them swiftly afterward, but it was too late. He had caught her in her deceit.

"Come on, we have plans for the day," Link said persistently.

Knowing that her ruse had been blown, she groaned and rolled over, facing away from him.

"You wanted me to sleep. Well, I'm sleeping," she murmured, brushing a few twisted strands of hair away from her face then resumed snuggling into the pillow.

How was it that a bed could seem like a cold slab of stone at night, yet in the morning it became the most softest and comfiest thing in the world? In that case she and Link must have done an exceptional job breaking it in. She felt like she was on a fluffy cloud.

There was a grunt of impatience. "I didn't mean sleep all the time."

She pulled the blankets over her head to ward off the light. "Should have worded yourself better. Goodnight."

"Zelda," a note of irritation had entered his voice.

Zelda brushed him off, "I said goodnight."

"It's morning, not night. Get your hours straight at least."

"Then good morning. Now would you please leave me to sleep in," she said grumpily. She was losing valuable sleep time because of him. He may be the most handsome devil she'd ever laid eyes on, but she wasn't about to jump at his every whim. She could ogle him any day; sleep on the other hand was a rarity.

Link grumbled darkly, "We have things to do today, if you laze around in bed you'll miss everything."

"Well darn, that's just too bad for me."

He didn't appreciate her sarcasm, and that was shown as his hands suddenly gripped the edges of the blanket and yanked it down and off. Zelda reacted instinctively. She shot her hands in front of her to block the light, simultaneously charging them with magic.

Link jolted as sparks flew from her fingers and collided with his arm. He fell back onto the mattress, wincing as he pushed himself up, rubbing his wrist. "Hey! I said no magic."

She sat up, stretching her arms out and yawning widely. "Force of habit. The castle maids never liked it either."

Link moved so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, keeping a good distance away from her. "You are one insufferable little queen."

"I have a right to be."

Link rolled his eyes. "Apparently. Now get up."

Instead of listening to him, Zelda flopped back down on the bed, uncaring that she was denied her blankets. The room was warming up anyways, and the heat of the sun felt good on her skin.

"Zelda!"

She smiled but didn't say anything. Let silence be her answer.

"Ignoring me won't get me to change my mind."

"Doesn't hurt to try," she mumbled into her arm. "Besides, whose fault is it that I'm this tired? Yours!"

"Oh? And who was it that was doing practically all the work?" he countered a bit smugly. "Me. If anyone, I should be the one still in bed."

Zelda smirked. "You could always join me. Or, I might be inclined to muster up enough energy to continue where we left off last night."

"You're a vixen," said Link in exasperation, pausing, although Zelda thought he might be considering. "How about if I promised you more strawberries."

Almost imperceptibly her ears twitched in interest. Link – the devil – sought to further tempt her.

"With chocolate sauce dip and whipped cream."

She peeked an eye open. "This for breakfast?"

He laughed, a deep-throated tenor that made her insides quiver. "I'm surprised you settle for what the cooks at the castle make for you. With your love of sweets it's amazing that you don't have something like this for breakfast everyday."

That was all it took for her to give in. She held out a hand and Link grasped it and pulled her up into a sitting position. She stretched, back arching in such a way that she knew would heat Link's blood, then swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up, her satin nightgown smoothing out to just above her knees.

"Well I can't just let myself go," she replied, as she moved about the room gathering items for a bath. "Cook always say's that I have to watch my weight. It is unbecoming of a queen to lose control over herself like that."

"Rough," said Link in feigned sympathy.

"That's life," she responded with a yawn, moving into the bathroom where the tub had already been filled with steaming hot water. Link followed her in and sat on a stool, watching her undress, eyes roving heatedly over her. The intensity of his gaze sent a delightful shiver down her spine.

"Some of the other royals certainly let themselves go over the years. I've seen portraits of your ancestors. Not all of them can boast a trim figure like you can," he said, leaning on his forearms.

Zelda dipped a foot in the water, testing the temperature, then immersed herself entirely, sighing softly. The water was warm and soothing, bobbing just above the curve of her breasts. She relaxed in it, letting it wash away the tender aches from their intercourse. Link coughed and shifted in his seat, crossing his legs. She held back a smile and began to wash, lathering her hair with scented lotions.

"Of course. Not everyone can exert such impeccable control as I," she said, spreading the suds down her neck and over the curve of her shoulders, taking her time as she appreciated Link's aroused reactions – subtle though they were.

Link shifted uncomfortably and tossed her a sly smile. "I don't know about that. You certainly didn't display any of that esteemed control last night-hey!"

He wiped furiously at his eyes, clearing out the wad of water she had splashed at him.

Zelda laughed and dunked her head.

* * *

They rode out in the sunlight, edging along the tree line as they made their way eastward.

From her position mounted on her horse, a stunning black mare from Link's stables by the name of Dryad, she took full advantage of her unobscured view of Link's dorsal side atop Epona. She could practically see his back muscles rippling through his shirt with every movement he made, every time he tugged on the reins, leaned forward or backward as Epona took the slopes. Her eyes feasted hungrily on his every maneuver.

Her staring must have made him anxious for he twisted around to give her a questioning look. "Is there something the matter, Zelda?"

Zelda thought for a moment, taking the time to flit her eyes over the muscles at work for that small action. "As a matter of fact…there is."

She kicked Dryad's flanks to speed her up a bit and pulled alongside Epona, every other step causing her leg to brush against the red mare's side. For all his battle-hard experience and quick-as-light reflexes, Link was completely taken by surprise as her hand was brought down on his cheek.

His head snapped to the side, eyes wide in bewilderment. Slowly he turned to level a glare at her smirking face.

"And what," he growled lowly, "may I ask, did I do to warrant that?" He rubbed the blossoming red mark on his cheek with ire.

Her eyes narrowed, smirk gone. "You tied me up! I can't believe you had the impertinence to tie me up!"

He looked confused for a moment before realization hit and he shrugged, smiling. "What sort of villain would I be if I didn't get that part at least right. I seem to be going easy on you as far as villains go. I should have you tied to the bedposts, at my mercy," he said, eyes glinting with mischievous intent. "Not that I need to, you're always more than willing." At her death glare he quickly cleared his throat. "Besides, I couldn't have you trying to get away with magic. Tying you up seemed like the best option."

"Yes, well," said Zelda sharply, gloved hands choking the reins, "not that I could do anything at the time anyways. What was in that blasted smoke?"

"No idea," he said frankly, wholly unconcerned. "I got it as a gift from Barnes in Kakariko. It's a new bomb he created, but instead of doing damage it's meant to slow down your enemies, make them weak and easy to take out. I'll have to give him my thanks and a generous tip the next time I see him."

"I shall have them outlawed as soon as we return to the castle."

Link looked at her aghast. "Is that really wise? Many people use them in defense against the beasts of Hyrule. Would you be able to rest at ease knowing you'd be making easy meals of them? Bokoblins in particular are known to enjoy Hylian flesh."

She sniffed, steering her mare around a cluster of trees. "If they are to be abused then I shall have no choice but to ban them."

"They'll just end up in the black market," Link said plaintively.

She didn't think they'd ever be in that high of a demand, but accepted his point. "Then I shall have to ban your possession of them."

Link threw his head back and laughed. "Hah! You can try."

She shook her head, smiling at him fondly. Of course he was right. No power in the world could prevent Link from doing anything he wanted to do, nor could it keep him from anything he wanted. It took two long years and an endless amount of strife on both their parts to realize that.

Zelda didn't know where they were headed, but from their direction following the morning sun she could guess. This guess was proved correct as they broke through the trees and Link led them down a well-trod path that ended at Lake Hylia.

They moved to the southern banks, somewhat obscured by a formation of large rocks. Link chose a secluded stretch of turf with a couple of thin trees as a place to stop and swung off of Epona's back. He dug into her saddlebags, piling items in his arms.

Zelda was in good spirits as she followed Link's initiative and dismounted. She plucked out an apple from her bag and let Dryad eat off her hand, rubbing circles on her furry cheek.

She really was a good horse. Zelda had been moderately surprised when she'd seen that Ivy manor's stables had been full of mares with not a stallion among them. Link certainly was the ladies man. Or perhaps that was more a show of preference.

Once finished, Zelda left Dryad to roam knowing that Link would have trained her to stay close.

She wandered over to where he was bent, flattening a large square cloth over the grass. He sat on it cross-legged and motioned for her to join him.

Eagerly she lowered herself beside him but then he grabbed her wrist and yanked her across his lap, arms wrapping tightly around her.

"Liiiink!"

He squeezed her shoulders. "Hush, lest you frighten off all the wildlife."

She had a mind to elbow him in the ribs but thought better of it. Hurting him now would limit his ability to please her later. Sprawled over his legs, she shifted to a more comfortable position and looked around irately. "What wildlife? That cucco?"

Link darted his head in the direction of her gaze to see a molting grey bird clucking around on a small island out over the lake. It paid them no heed as it busied itself with digging up the ground in search of grubs.

"Ah. I believe you've just found us our lunch." He began to move her off of him but Zelda held on tightly.

"Don't you dare! Cuccos are known to kill in flocks," she said, panicked. It had been a fear of hers ever since her father had told her of a frightening story when she was young, about a boy who would abuse animals, carrying cuccos above his head, tossing them around, making them carry him through the air, and hitting them with sticks. The story ended with him being pecked to death, skin shorn and shredded.

"If I can get it in one blow it won't have time to call for its flock," said Link, attempting to pry her off.

But her fear was rabid. "I don't feel like eating cooked cucco anyways!"

"Well I do."

"Please, Link." The slight whine in her tone usually worked as well as a pout. Link abruptly stopped his struggling, and sighing, slumped back, letting her have her way. Just like he always did… well usually…

"Fine," he grumped, holding her loosely. He grumbled incoherently and then said, "I don't understand it. You eat cuccos all the time."

She smiled secretively. Ashei was right. Link could be such a pushover. "Well I'm usually not there when they're being slaughtered."

"So you're squeamish about death? Have all those hunts been some sort of deceptive ruse to fool your court?" he asked, teasingly.

Zelda shifted uneasily. "Well no, and I have the pelts as proof. You've also seen me slay bulblins and bokoblins before. I am ashamed to say that death and meting out death is a very intricate part of my person."

He tossed her a lazy grin. "As long as it is in battle, or self defense."

Her reply was instant and not roundabout like Link's had been when he'd been faced with that very same question. "It was."

It also ashamed her to know that on certain occasions she even enjoyed the killing. It had the effect of sending a thrill through her. Each time she became alive with sensation and motion. The hunt was a sport as much as it was for survival, and slaying the dangerous monsters that roamed her land was a game just as it was a cleansing. It was horrible to her to think of it as such, but that was the verity of the situation.

Link must have noticed her unease for he squeezed her shoulders in a tender show of affection.

"Well then, Lady Death," spoke Link softly, "let me just say that life is also a part of you, giving it and saving it." She looked at him inquisitively, but he just carried on. "All women are blessed with the ability to create life, but not many are blessed with the power to heal as you are. You and your light magic can do incredible things. You have the power to destroy and to create." He cast her a small grin. "As for me, the most I can do to save a life is hand over a bottle of red potion. My strength lies in harming others and ending lives."

Her heart went out to him, pounding so wildly it was near bursting in her chest. It astounded her every time he could say these most significant things and make it all sound so trivial, and each time her adoration for him grew.

She hoped he could see the love she conveyed for him through her eyes. Words, it seemed, would never be enough.

Zelda placed a hand on his cheek, brushing her thumb across it softly. "You do save lives. Everyday I either see or hear of something you did that went into saving a life. Saving does not have to mean rescuing from death. It can mean just making another person's life better. Giving them light in their darkness, even if it is only a small sliver."

He gazed down at her, his expression neutral but his eyes were heated.

In an abrupt movement he smashed their lips together and she eagerly responded, both determined to express their ardor in that glorious connection.

Zelda sighed when they finally pulled away. Somehow Link never failed to make her feel more loved than she already was.

He leaned back on his hands and tossed her a grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into his deliciously chiseled chest. "So, it's just the cuccos, is it?"

She nodded dazedly. "Just cuccos."

"That's fine," he said. "Good thing I brought gear meant for various tasks."

This time when he nudged her to get off she went willingly. He fetched the package he'd unloaded from Epona's saddle and laid it out before them. Zelda eyed it with keen interest. It was long, wrapped in leather and tied with a black thong. She thought it might be one of those dismantling fishing rods until Link opened it up.

"Bows? Link!" she accused frostily.

"For fishing," he said adroitly, grabbing one of the bows and plucking out a coiled string. He fastened it across both ends of the bow then held it out to her.

Zelda reached past to snatch the other one. "I think I know how to string my own bow."

He pulled back, smiling indulgently. "Of course."

He plucked one of the quivers from the pack. Slinging it over his shoulder he walked over to the edge of the water. From there he braced his feet shoulder-length apart and angled his body. He reached back to draw an arrow then expertly nocked it, aiming the point at the water.

Zelda quickly fastened the string on both nocks, taking a moment to admire the lovely leafwork design along the back of the bow. She took a position further down the bank so that she wouldn't interfere with Link then readied her arrow, latching it to the string and drawing it back. Sighting down the shaft she trained her eyes on the water's surface, waiting for that telltale darkening that signified the movement of aqua life.

If it was necessitated she could remain still for hours in wait for game. Many times patience had won out and she was rewarded with prize catches. The buck whose antlers hung in her dining room at her private hunting lodge had been one such prize. It hadn't been too hard to pick up his trail and track him to a wide-open meadow but then she had had to silently stalk him until he came close enough for a clear shot. It was painful bringing such a magnificent creature down, but also invigorating. The meat had been distributed to many people that day, along with the pelt. She'd only kept the antlers for herself to remind her of the fragility of life and the care she must take to preserve it.

There was a zip and then a small splash. Link gave a cry of delight soon followed by the sound of sloshing water as he waded out to claim his prize.

Zelda remained still, her level of awareness not extending past the wide section of water in front of her lest she miss her chance.

Her ears twitched as she heard the rustle of grass as Link sidled up next to her. "No luck, miss sharpshooter? Pity, it seems you did scare off all the wildlife after-"

He was cut off as she released, the arrow piercing the water with a small fwoop. Something shimmering gray floated up, the shaft sticking in the air like a mini javelin.

She grinned. She was about to go retrieve it but Link had already waded out. Yanking up the carcass by the shaft, he scrutinized her catch then plodded back to shore to compare it with his own.

"Mine's bigger..."

"Oh, men and their bloody sizes!" she exclaimed, setting bow and quiver down on the leather wrap before kneeling on the blanket.

"Here, I'll gut them while you start the fire," said Link, grabbing his hunting knife and setting to his task.

Zelda snapped her fingers and a spark of fire ignited above the tips. She swirled her hand around, making it bigger before setting it to hover in front of her, blazing warmly.

Link gave her a downright vicious look and snorted, returning to his gutting. "What was it I said about using magic?"

"You told me to start the fire," she responded, eyes dancing in the firelight. "So I did."

"I meant you to do it the proper way," he said stiffly. "Find wood and kindling then while away for hours rubbing two stones together until I can come help you and show you how it's properly done."

So he wanted her to be dependent did he? Link should really know better. She flashed a hand out in front of her and made to scrutinize her nails. "And chafe my poor delicate hands? I think not. Minister Raleigh would suspect you of abuse and we can't have that."

He mumbled something about her being a cheeky woman. Thankfully she didn't catch the rest of what he said. After he was done he washed his hands in the lake and stabbed the fish on a pair of pointed sticks then plunged them into the ground near the floating flame.

Zelda fluttered her fingers and the fire flared into two rings and proceeded to encircle the fish.

Link looked at her horrified. "What are you doing?"

She blinked at him, her mouth watering at the appetizing aroma of cooked fish. "Speeding up the process."

"No! We do this properly. We cook one side of the fish then turn it over to cook the other side."

"But-"

"You're lucky I don't make you put out your witchcraft and start a fire the right way," he snapped.

Abruptly she shot to her feet, her lips pursed. "Witchcraft, is it?" Turning on her heel she stalked away, blood boiling beneath her skin, along with a small splattering of hurt.

The nerve of him! She knew ever since the Twilight fiasco and Midna's departure that Link had become abnormally sensitive towards magic. It made him uneasy and sometimes it appeared as if he outright despised it. But magic was an intricate part of her, he'd said so himself when he'd spoken of her healing. It was her magic that aided him in the defeat of Ganondorf, her magic that had saved Midna from expiring after Zant's attack. Not all magic was destined to take something away from him. Not like his humanity...not like Midna...

No more than five steps had been taken before her wrist was snagged by a calloused hand as Link pulled her back.

"Wait! Zelda, I didn't mean it!"

She tugged in an attempt to pull free. "Link, let me go."

"No, wait! Please, Zelda, I was out of turn. I shouldn't have said that, it was vicious and rude. I promise it won't happen again."

Zelda paused, anchored in place by Link's firm grip on her wrist. She pulled experimentally only to find that he would not give way. At length she sighed. Really, she was too forgiving for her own good.

She titled her head back to look at his pleading expression, his face filled with remorse. She twisted her hand to intertwine her fingers in his, smiling softly. "You are forgiven. But, I shall hold you to your promise. No more thoughtless comments."

Relief flooded his face as he gripped her hand tighter. "Whatever you wish, your majesty." He brought her hand to his lips and placed a tender kiss on her knuckles. "Now, let's see about having lunch."

"Whatever you say, hero," she voiced wryly.

The fish were done when they returned to them. Zelda plucked her stick from the ground, face falling in dismay as she turned it over. "This side is charred…"

Link looked at it then took in her dismal expression and sighed, handing his over. "Here, we'll trade."

"Really? Oh, thank you," she said, beaming. As soon as the exchange was made she bit into it. Resigned, Link ate the charred fish and winced at the added burnt flavor.

They burned the bones once finished and washed their hands in the lake. They then spent the rest of the afternoon lazing around on the blanket. Link had suggested going swimming but Zelda had merely looked at him askance.

"Have you seen what I'm wearing?"

He eyed her up and down and shrugged. "It's a light dress, shouldn't be too hard to swim in."

"It's white, Link! It'll become transparent."

His eyes had taken on that familiar glint and he surreptitiously raked them over her. "And that's a bad thing…?"

She swatted him on the arm. "If we encounter a Zora, or if someone happens to ride by and see us, then yes it is."

Links face then hardened. "No swimming."

Currently they were seated across from each other playing a game of cards. Zelda was greatly enjoying herself. It had been so long since she had the time to engage in something so simple, although annoyance ate at her as she was losing. It used to be that she'd win four out of five rounds against him, but Link must have been playing a lot as of late for now it proved to be the opposite. She wouldn't put it past him to be spending all his free time at Telma's.

A wave of clouds rolled in and blocked out the sun. Wind started to pick up and Zelda shivered at the sudden coldness.

"It's about to rain," said Link, gazing up at the greying skies. "We'd better pack up. The manor is over an hour away. The weather might slow us down a little, but we should be back before nightfall."

Zelda certainly hoped so. She had no desire to be caught up in the dark while it rained. She felt miserable just thinking about it.

Hurriedly Link rewrapped the bows and quivers, stuffing the wound strings in his pocket. Zelda rushed to gather up the blanket and cards. Link whistled for Epona and Dryad and soon they were trudging up the short incline to the path that would take them directly to Faron woods.

It had begun raining by this time. And it was not a gradual process that started with small droplets, then drizzle before pouring down in full shower. The first steps were skipped as the clouds went right to showering.

Zelda huddled beneath Link's cloak after he'd stubbornly insisted she take it, arguing that she was wearing very little compared to him. It had been tucked away in his travel bag, something he kept habitually in Epona's saddlebags. Link had resorted to using their picnic blanket as his own means of coverage, although it did very little to protect him from the downpour.

Their horses ambled up the path at a slow pace. They dismounted when it became too steep to safely ride without risk and led the mares by their tethers. It was hard going, her clothes dripped heavy with water, mud sucked on her boots making each step a challenge.

Link constantly looked over his shoulder to check on her and Zelda would give a strained smile and nod to reassure him. They were almost up the path. Once they reached the forest the trees would shelter them.

Dryad snorted, expressing her dislike of the situation as she clopped wearily along. Zelda patted her nose in sympathy. Once they were home she'd see to it that the mare got a nice brushing down and a pail full of oats.

However, as Dryad took her next step the stones beneath her fell loose and she slipped, losing all traction in the mud. Neighing in terror, she lost her footing and fell over on her flank, sliding down the ridge, hauling Zelda along with her.

Zelda was yanked off her feet and sprawled in the mud, drifting down with the terrified horse. Lightning struck and Dryad neighed in panic.

"Link!"

Zelda snagged a jutting stone and pulled herself up. She dug in her heels and wrapped the reins around her wrist, pulling with all her might. They were close to the ridge and it was steep and far down enough that if Dryad fell over there'd be no saving her.

"Zelda! I'm coming!"

A roar of thunder and Dryad panicked. She tossed her head and scrambled to get up. Zelda reached to grab her around the neck but was slammed away as she was hit by Dryad's flank. She lost her hold on the reins, the world tilting as she fell backwards. The ground suddenly disappeared beneath her and she plummeted over the ridge. The last thing she heard was a frantic cry from Link before her head hit something hard and darkness consumed her.

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**A/N: Couldn't help but add a dash of adventure into the plot. I hope that's okay with everyone ^^.**

**Ah, and there's the sappiness... I attribute that little part to my mushy brain.**

**One thing...don't ever try fishing with bow and arrows. If you're anything like me you'll fail at it. Miserably. And live with the embarrassment of trying for the rest of your lives. **

**On a side note, just to make it clear, it never struck me that Link held any sort of infatuation towards Midna. They had been close as really good friends, but I believe that is the extent of their relationship. I doubt they would have been able to tolerate each other as anything more. Midna always seemed rather rambunctious and she'd need someone who could keep up with her, not roll over at her every command (sorry Link).**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for reviewing: Nintendoes Gamer, Etsy, A True NaZaMi Fan, Lady . Zayriah, Generala, Guest (oct 31), Ancient . tree, bubblekins, and 11lol11.**

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**Chapter 5:**

"Oh Goddesses! Zelda I'm so sorry. I should have got to you sooner."

Stomach churning as a wave of nausea overwhelmed her, Zelda was forced to weakly turn away as she emptied the contents of her stomach, acid burning in her throat. She coughed then groaned as steady hands lowered her to rest against a broad damp chest.

"Zelda, look at me."

His voice was so fearful, compelling her to obey. She blink then stared into a shadowed face, rainwater dripping off his hair and trailing in rivulets down his cheeks. It was still raining, but it was like a drone in the background, faded and obscure.

"No concussion. Thank Nayru."

She felt as if she'd been used as a training dummy the way her body sang with ache and from all the stinging cuts littering her face, arms and legs.

She winced as she tried to get up. "How bad is it?"

His voice was soft beside her. "Could be worse. Do you hurt anywhere? Can you tell if anything's broken?"

"I don't think so," she said as she found her balance, Link bracing her arms for support. Her eyes widened in sudden realization. "Dryad! Where's Dryad!"

"Safe," he assuaged her. "And due for a good punishment for doing this to you."

"Please don't," she muttered, "it was not her fault."

"She shoved you down the ridge!"

"She was tired and afraid. She was near bolting," Zelda defended rigidly.

Link sighed as they started climbing up the slope. "Fine. I'm just going to have to train her better. A little tumble and a storm never scared Epona, and neither will it scare Dryad by the time I'm through with her."

It looked like the younger mare would be in for some harsh lessons and Zelda felt a shred of sympathy for her. It would be good for her, however, if something like this ever happened again she'd be able to keep her head, which would make her all the more valuable a companion.

Link craned his head, squinting his eyes against the harsh downpour to study the precipice from which she had fallen. "It'll be a steep climb. It's a good thing you only fell halfway, there's more bushes up here that we can grab hold of. Are you up for it?"

Her stomach lurched at the thought, but she solidly nodded her head with grim determination. "I'll manage."

Link evidently wasn't satisfied with her answer and kept hold of her arm. "Are your legs fine? You didn't twist your ankle or anything?"

Really, she tried to convince herself that his worry was endearing, but all she felt was irritation. "I'm standing aren't I?"

"Right," he said and began climbing.

If he were alone Link would have shot up the slope like a lithe squirrel, despite the wet and mud that would allay others. It was no surprise to her that he had drastically decreased his pace for her in order to stay close in case anything else happened. And it was a good thing he did for in the next instance as she reached for a branch to use as a handhold a stab of pain shot through her shoulder and she ended up sliding a foot backward.

Link snagged her elbow and halted her. "Zelda! What's wrong?"

She clenched her teeth willing the pain to dull. "My shoulder …"

His eyes hardened as he nodded in understanding.

Back during the battle against Ganondorf Zelda had used her excellence in archery to help slow the evil king down so that Link could close in and attack. Ganondorf had quickly caught onto their strategy and while sending out his wraiths to attack them, came in behind and slammed the pommel of his sword against her shoulder blade, tearing it out of the socket. At that point he had been close enough for Zelda to take up arrow in hand, imbue it with her light magic, and thrust it in his side, all the while doing her best to ignore the pain. Enraged, Link had swiftly gone in to attack, knocking the evil king from his horse.

Her shoulder hadn't been tended to soon enough and so never did quite heal right, even under the influence of her magic and numerous red potions, it had become weakened and quicker to strain. Like a shattered vase that had been glued back together, it took less force to shatter it again. She had regained her capability to do archery and fight with a blade, using her left arm mostly for balance, but if she ever overexerted herself the pain would return and her arm would become unusable until it healed again.

She must have jarred it during her fall. She wouldn't be able to climb back up, not by herself at least.

Link must have realized this for he swiftly unsheathed his knife and slammed it to the hilt in the ground. He guided her right hand to curl around the grip. "Keep hold of this until I return. There's some rope in Epona's saddlebag. I won't be long."

With that he scurried up the incline. Zelda bit her bottom lip as she watched him go, suddenly very nervous. Twilight had descended and everything was cloaked in ominous shades of grey and orange.

Rain pelted her from above, causing her hand to become slick and slide from its hold on the knife. She clenched her fingers tight around the hilt and flattened herself against the ground, her left arm hanging uselessly beside her. She could do nothing but wait in endless anticipation for Link to return with the rope.

In the distance a wolf howled a strident call. The cadence was carried up by other wolves; singing as they started on the hunt.

She shivered at the sound then shrieked as something large dropped down beside her.

"Relax, Zelda, it's only me."

Heart clamoring in her chest, Zelda glared at him, more upset by their miserable situation than she was at him. "You left me," she said accusingly.

Link unveiled a length of rope, slung over his arm and proceeded to wrap one end around her waist, securing it in a knot. "It was either that or risking you more injury and wasting time climbing up the slow way." He tugged on the rope to make sure it held then grabbed the other end and pulled it experimentally.

Zelda felt the tightening on her waist and realized that the middle of the rope was further up, wrapped around a tree in a crude pulley system.

"Ready when you are," said Link, gripping his end of the rope, prepared to pull.

She took a sharp inhale. "Alright."

He looked at her meaningfully. "Just…be careful, Zelda. Don't strain yourself."

She gave him a weak smile then narrowed her gaze upward. With the rope to assist her as Link gave her that extra boost, climbing with one hand became immensely easier. Link didn't stay in one spot as he pulled her up, instead he kept beside her, using the rope as a line, pulling her up a bit then taking a few steps, pull then climb.

They reached the top and Link hauled her up and over the ledge. He untied the rope and coiled it around his arm then led her gently to where the mares were waiting for them on the lea side of a large slab of rock. Dryad looked positively contrite with her head lowered and snorting softly, while Epona, who had been keeping a stern eye on the younger mare, nickered at the sight of them.

Dryad lifted her head slightly as Zelda came near and butt her nose against her chest apologetically. Zelda smiled and lightly pat her mane. "It's alright, you are forgiven."

Link strode stiffly up to the horse and helped Zelda onto her back. He took the reins firmly in his hands, blue eyes narrowed in a deep frown as they met Dryad's. "If you ever do that again…"

He let it hang and Dryad seemingly understood for she snorted bashfully and pawed a hoof at the ground.

Link pushed his sodden hair out of his eyes and started down the road. He whistled for Epona to follow as he kept hold of Dryad's lead. "It's a good thing Dryad didn't hurt herself or things would be much more complicated." He peered up at the sky, scrutinizing the waning light. "We're not going to make it back to the manor before dark. There's a small town nearby where we can stay until morning."

Zelda sat slumped in the saddle, her right hand holding onto the saddle horn while her left arm was draped across her lap. She felt filthy and cold, her dress was all but ruined and Link's cloak probably fared no better. A town sounded heavenly to her ears. "Which town is it?" If she knew the name of it she could get a better idea of where in Hyrule they were exactly.

"Glenwood. Just short east of Faron woods," Link replied overtly. "We actually passed the road that leads to it on our way to Lake Hylia. I'll have to see if any of their shops are open. We'll require dry clothing, and you need some bandages and a brace for that shoulder of yours."

She wrinkled her nose at that. Casts always made her feel like an invalid.

The overcast thickened, bringing about an early night. They arrived in Glenwood a bedraggled pair. By that time the shops were all closed, and the streets were empty but for a few stragglers and the evening patrol. The guards were of a stern and serious mannerism, but Zelda could tell that they were utterly wretched beneath their cloaks as they wandered the streets, keeping an eye out for unsavory characters.

One pair of guards surveyed them with wary precaution as they passed. Link offered a greeting and hesitantly they greeted him back.

"You gentlemen wouldn't happen to know if there are any vacancies at the local inn?"

One of the soldiers eyed him sternly. His gaze drifted toward Zelda, who ducked her head at the scrutiny and discretely pulled the cloak tighter.

"The Kip'n Dine," said the other soldier, pointing over to the left down a cobbled street lit by two rows of lanterns and the moving lights of other guards on patrol. "Two blocks down, opposite the fairy monument. If you can't find it in the dark the noise will certainly lead you to it. Rowdiest inn these parts of Hyrule."

He gave a meaningful look at Zelda then flicked his gaze back to Link, who seemed to understand the message for he tightened his hold on the reigns and gave a stiff nod.

"Many thanks." He then headed down the street toward the inn, eyes darting around scoping out the darkness.

Zelda understood his concern, but there was little to be done. They needed a room for the night and it appeared that this Kip'n Dine was all there was.

They found the inn with little problem. It stood at two stories, with light streaming out of every window on the first floor. Loud laughter and clamoring came from inside, along with rowdy calls, girlish squeals and high pitched giggling.

Link cast her a look over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "Sleazy?"

"More likely people getting too drunk on their wine," she responded warily, as she brought up a hand to wipe a few wet strands of hair out of her face.

He laughed. "Ale, Zelda. You won't find such fine drink among the common folk."

There was a stable attached to the side of the building, the stalls were mostly filled, but Link managed to claim two empty ones for Epona and Dryad. He helped her down from Dryad then unsaddled the horses and removed their tack. He then linked her arm in his and headed to the inn.

"We'll see if we can find a stable hand to take care of the mares. I don't know about you, but I for one would like a warm meal and some clean clothes."

Zelda smiled at him, keeping her weak arm steady around her waist. "That must be the most wonderful suggestion you've had all day."

She was suddenly yanked back as Link stopped.

"So you don't think my idea to visit Lake Hylia was a good one?" he asked in a tone of affront.

Zelda realized her error and hurried to assuage him. "Oh no, I didn't mean that. I had a lovely time at the lake, I just meant…" she trailed off when she caught the quirk of his lips and slapped his arm. "Of all the insufferable men! You're teasing me!"

Link merely grinned and laughed. "You have to admit, you make it easy. You take everything so seriously, it's like you're just asking to be made fun of."

"I most certainly am not!" she retorted and snapped her gaze away. Her face colored a bright shade of pink, which only made Link laugh louder. Damn, she really did make it easy for him.

They entered the inn, the warm air from heated bodies in the common room instantly driving away the chill. Link took them to the front desk in a small anteroom where a skinny attendant sat on the other side, filing his nails, nose wrinkled up as if a bad odor clung to the air.

He took one look at them and sighed, returning to his nails. "Eloping?"

Zelda flushed while Link merely blinked then gave a bashful smile. "Is it that obvious?"

"Link!" She slapped his arm. "We are not eloping!"

He rubbed at the smarting spot on his arm, a light seeming to dawn in his eyes. "Ah, the Lady's right. I am remiss. We've already eloped two years ago. My apologies for such an unsightly display of forgetfulness." He caught her hand before she could deliver another smack, then stared meaningfully at the attendant. "But, for whoever comes here asking questions about us, the answer is no."

The man stared at them dully. "To eloping?"

"To everything."

The man snorted and waved his hand. "Right. I never saw you, and never will. It's the same procedure for everybody. Believe me, this happens often around here. Now are you here for food or lodgings?"

"Both," muttered Zelda, snatching her hand away. Her stomach grumbled as she detected something savory emanating from the kitchens.

The man reached under his desk and produced two keys then opened a logbook. "Two rooms for the night, and dinner?"

Link furrowed his brow and pushed one of the keys back. "One room."

The attendant raised a brow, looked at them, and rolled his eyes, jotting down in his book. "One room, and two dinner meals. Milk comes free with the meal, but any alcohol has to be paid separate with an extra charge if you pay in the morning."

Link leaned an arm on the desk. "What are the chances of having a bath brought up?"

The man glanced at the two of them, taking in their dirty appearance and the muddy footprints they'd tracked into the room. He sighed. "I'll make sure it's done. I'll even add in some complementary outfits."

Link smiled, pleased, and moved away. "Good man." He snatched up the key and dropped a purse full of rupees at the desk. Placing a hand on Zelda's lower back, they turned and started up the stairs.

The man's eyes bulged at the amount and he spluttered, utterly bewildered. "Sir – this is-"

Link raised a dismissive hand. "That's for the mess. Oh, and someone needs to see to our horses."

There was more spluttering, quickly followed by a "yes sir!" before the hasty shuffling of footsteps could be heard.

Their room ended up being the one furthest down the hall. Link pushed the key into the hole and twisted, tumblers clicking. Opening the door with a flourish, he waited for Zelda to enter first before following and shutting it behind him.

Zelda stood awkwardly in the center of the room, unwilling to touch anything lest she sully it. Link, however, pulled over a chair from the corner and sat her down on it. He then brushed aside her cloak and tugged down her sleeve.

She sighed. "Link, it's fine – ouch!"

He lessened the pressure of his fingers as they prodded her flesh for any abnormalities and gave her a quelling look. "I can see that."

Snatching her right hand he moved it to flatten over her shoulder and held it there insistently. "Now heal yourself."

Zelda stuck out her bottom lip and averted her head. "You used to be so kind and gentle…" she said with a forlorn air about her. Her hand warmed as she began the healing process, repairing the damaged muscle fibers and adding strength to the joint.

Link leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Well, that was _before_ you fell in love with me."

She hitched her uninjured shoulder in a half shrug. "I still _liked_ you."

He laughed, sitting back on his heels he tossed her a cocky grin. "Obviously you very much prefer me this way."

Couldn't argue with that. Shy Link had been cute and all a fluster around her. Her emotions towards him didn't stem above that of close fondness. He had stood out in court like a keaton in a kennel, so nervous that he could hardly form a coherent sentence. If anything, though, he was good at adapting, and after a little coaching from his male peers he had gained confidence and turned into an advanced socialite. He was by no means debonair, as his personality tended to sway more towards cordial seriousness, but he no longer experienced those awkward moments. That had been when he'd first showed an avid interest in her, and as they were spending a good deal of time together already, he had ample opportunities to pursue that interest. Which led to current Link, the playfully charming, but serious when need to be, Link.

How different he had become…

Shy Link had been able to move her heart with his acts of kindness. Current Link could make it soar with just a simple glance.

Sometimes, though, she thought it would be nice to have the Shy Link back. He was much easier to deal with and always jumped to obey her like a little puppy. He had never questioned her orders even when they were the silliest requests. This Link seemed all about doing his utmost to ruffle her feathers.

There was a knock on the door. Zelda covertly pulled up her sleeve and draped the cloak back in place as Link got up and went to open it. In the doorway stood the attendant from before, carrying a bundle of folded clothes.

He was being much more pleasant, even going so far as to give them a slight nod. "Here are your garments, sir, ma'am. The latest in Hyrulean fashion. The baths are accessible from downstairs, separate rooms for women and men."

"That's sounds wonderful, thank you," she said, standing and crossing the room.

The man hesitated and jerked his head, as if he was unused to receiving thanks of any sort. He thrust out his chest importantly and bid them to follow. "Right this way then."

An hour later saw Zelda clean and dressed in warm dry clothing, sitting at a booth in the common room while waiting for Link to return with their meals.

It was a tad stifling being surrounded by so many warm bodies. Every single surface and table had been claimed. It was only because of Link's generous payment that they had managed to secure a table in the first place, the attendant having graciously rolled a pair of unconscious men off their chairs to pile against the wall. Link had looked on in amusement, Zelda had been aghast.

"Happens all the time," the attendant had grunted, piling the empty mugs on the dangerously tilting tray he held aloft and wiping down the surface. "Won't remember a thing in the morning. The swines can't even hold their own liquor. Why my own grandmother can drink half these men in the room right under the table, in a single night at that."

They were told that they'd have to order at the counter since the serving girls would most likely be too preoccupied by attentive intoxicated men to get around to them. Link had told her to stay put and had gone to brave the masses.

That had been about eight minutes ago. It was a madhouse in here. She considered telling Link, once he returned, that they should take their food up to their bedroom and dine there.

She raised her head to see if she could catch sight of him. The bar was only thirty paces away, yet her view was obstructed by numerous hulking bodies. Tall as Link had become there were many men here that could easily dwarf him.

She stiffened suddenly as she sensed herself being watched. Automatically her eyes swept over to a nearby table where a group of men seemed to have noticed that she was alone and were all turned to stare at her. Uneasily, she shifted in her seat, pretending not to have seen them and shot her focus straight ahead, suddenly wishing for Link's cloak.

From the corner of her visions she saw one of the men get up and make his way over. He stepped in front of her, filling her vision and Zelda was forced to look up out of politeness. The man smiled what he thought must have been a winning smirk and then plunked down in Link's seat.

The queen in disguise held herself with calm regality as she looked inquiringly at the man, inside though she was a mess of nerves. "Yes?"

The man stared at her then let out a boisterous laugh, which only caused her further agitation. He slapped a hand down on the table. "I haven't even asked for anything yet and you're agreeing to it."

"That was framed as a question," she input, slightly perturbed. She peered over his shoulder, silently urging that golden-brown head to come into view as Link hurried back to her.

She had only ever visited Telma's bar and that was when it was closed to the public and reserved for private use. This crowded hubbub was unlike anything she had ever experienced, it was so different from court, everyone seemed so informal here, she was uncertain how to act. What should she do?

The man entwined his hands and bent forward on his elbows. "Oh ho! Fancy talk. You must be from Castle Town, there's the only place they talk like you do. What's a pretty thing like you doing all the way out in these backwater parts?"

He was making small talk. That wasn't so bad. Perhaps she could engage him in an enlightening conversation. After all, Glenwood was a small town, one she had not visited before. Perhaps she could gain some insight as to how it fared.

Pleasantly she smiled at him. "I am on vacation, actually," she responded with slight enthusiasm. She wanted to press some questions to him but at that moment the other men from the group arrived, and began hovering around her. Like guay closing in for a meal… And there, her nerves had returned.

"She's probably looking for some real meat," said one of the men, bracing his hand on the backrest of her chair. As discreetly as she could, Zelda leaned slightly away from him. "I've met some of them from Castle Town. All gaudy, too delicate and soft. A real man has callouses on his hands and a beard on his chin."

She frowned imperceptibly. _And the grace of humility_, she mentally added.

The latter barb appeared to have been made at the first man who only laughed it off. "I'll grow one out eventually. Hey, what are we all standing around for? Let's order some good ale for the chick."

This was received with cheers from the other three men. One of them waved a hand in the air and called out: "Yo, Dana! Give us a round over here."

The girl named Dana wrinkled her nose in evident distaste but whirled around in the direction of the bar anyways.

To her abject dismay the drinks arrived quicker than Link and their meals did - Dana hurrying to do her job and leave - and Zelda was faced with the four men pressuring her to down a large tankard of what looked to be frothing yellow chu jelly, although less viscous.

"Go on," said the first man, who she learned was named Callan. "You've never had anything until you've had Brogart's finest ale. Best thing you'll ever taste, guaranteed."

A bead of sweat dribbled down her neck, soaking into the fabric of her dress. She stared at the sloshing liquid, froth foaming along the rim, and nodded. "Alright…" Bringing it to her lips she tilted it up, already beginning the process of magicking the liquid away, only pretending to drink it.

She brought it down, licking her lips for effect. The men stared fixatedly at her and one of them poured more into her cup. "Not bad for a city chick. Your cup's gotta stay full though, them's the rules."

Zelda clutched the handle of the tankard planting a strained smile on her face. "So, what are all your occupations?"

She decided to get right down to it. She was aware that the village of Glenwood mostly prided itself on its forestry and woodwork, but it would be nice to hear of the economical situation firsthand from its residents. If they had any major complaints she could do something about it.

Once she opened up discussion there was no break to their talk, the topics segueing to wilder and wilder subjects, mostly self-centered, confirming her initial evaluation of the group. It mattered little, she mused, as long as they were no longer so focused on her. Plus she was getting some major insight - mostly through joking complaints - to the way their village ran.

The whole time she 'sipped' at her ale like tea. Pretending to consume meager amounts in order to please them, yet not consuming so much that they had to constantly refill her tankard. She felt bad wasting the ale as it was.

A caustic voice suddenly pierced her senses, causing her heart to flutter. "Zelda?"

Past the hovering men, Link came tearing through the last of the crowd to stand looming over the table, tray of food in hand. A profound relief filled her being at the sight of him and she greeted him brightly. "Link! I see you took your time."

Link cast his eyes over the four intruders, all of whom were looking at him with various expressions of mocking disbelief.

The man named Callan jerked his thumb, glancing at her. "You're not with this guy, are you? Seriously?"

She flinched back as the one leaning over her muttered softly in her ear, "Zelda…that's a pretty name."

"Get away from her!" Link slammed the tray down and swiftly grabbed the man's wrist. Twisting, he yanked him aside and stepped in front of Zelda.

Some of the nearby patrons turned to look, attracted by the disturbance. A few of them returned to their drinks, dismissing the scene as a normal occurence, while others continued to watch.

Zelda touched Link's arm, a silent warning. "Link."

"Zelda, tell me you didn't drink that."

She winced and sent him an apologetic smile. "Well…"

His lips pressed together tightly. "That's not good…"

"Hey you!" The man that Link had thrown got up with the help of his companions, and they all shot angry glares at him. Link hadn't even dropped into fighting stance. He stood rigid before her, eyes blazing as he narrowed them at the men.

"You can't just waltz in here and do whatever you like," Callan snarled, drawing close to tower over Link. "The chick was fine with us."

They were attracting more attention and Zelda tried to be as obscure as possible as more people stared at them. A server saw what was happening and ran off, hopefully to get the landlord.

Taller in stature Callan may be, but Link was made high by his poise alone.

Callan soon grew annoyed with Link's silence.

Grunting, he reached his hands out at Link to shove him. "What a quavering little rabbit. Get out of here and let some real men- argh!"

Before he could so much as lay a finger on him, Link had grabbed his wrist and arm behind the elbow and swung him around, slamming him against the wall. People shot up from their seats, cries of shock escalating as they drew back not wanting to get involved with the scene.

Link pushed Callan's arm, further bending it and causing a small groan to escape from him. He leaned in close and whispered something into his ear. The man quaked and quickly nodded before Link let him go with a small shove.

A voice bellowed above the ruckus and people parted to let the landlord through. He took in the scene, mustache bristling with anger that such a thing had gone on in his establishment. "You two, what are you doing? How dare you disturb my guests! If you need to brawl take it outside, otherwise this is a respectable inn! You shall behave like you belong in it or be sent to the sty with the pigs!"

Callan angrily swiped away a trail of blood welling at his chin, sustained when he had hit the wall. With one last lingering glare at Link he stalked off, his companions following in his wake.

The innkeeper grunted and went back to wiping the cup in his hand. The chattering resumed as things quieted down and soon all returned to normal. Link stomped over to his chair and pulled it out, falling into it with a heavy plunk.

Tenderly, Zelda rubbed her brow with her forefinger and thumb. She supposed that could have been worse. Was this really normal for a pub?

She raised her eyes and opened her mouth, intending to thank Link for his timely interference, but something in his demeanor halted her.

His brows were pinched, a frown marring his face, form still tensed. He was being unnaturally quiet as he roughly tugged one of the plates toward him and began eating. Zelda tried to make out what he could be thinking but his face was one of neutrality and indiscernible. Huffing, she grabbed her plate and forced herself to start eating as well, suddenly not feeling at all hungry for it.

After a moment of tensed silence, feeling the pressure of his gaze drill into her, she looked up and snapped at him. "What!"

He peered at her as if expecting some aversive reaction out of her. It was clear something was bothering him as he finally spoke softly, "Do you…feel any different?"

Her eyebrows shot up. Where was this coming from? "No… Why do you ask?"

He continued looking at her intensely, eyes flitting over her face before scrutinizing the rest of the visible parts of her. "You drank that ale. Didn't you see them put that powder in it?"

It had been slight, but there was no way someone with keen eyes like hers could have missed it as one of the men had discretely tipped a vial of powder into her tankard during a refill.

She frowned, indignant, and hissed back, "Of course I did. Even if I hadn't, I've been taught to perform magical scans over whatever food I'm to eat."

"But you drank it."

"I only said that I did because those men were listening," she revealed, stabbing her potatoes viciously. "I refused to allow a single drop to pass my lips. The smell alone was enough to turn my stomach, I wasn't going to drink any of that."

Silence. Then, "They could have been assassins."

She slammed down her fork and folded her arms tightly in front of her. "I just told you I had scanned it for any dangerous elements. And it wasn't a poison, it was a suppressant powder," she hissed quietly then gave an uncharacteristic sneer. "Much like the one used in your smoke bomb."

"So they were going to use coercion and drag you off and do, we-all-know-what, to you." His voice growled menacingly with the strain of keeping it down.

She narrowed her eyes critically. A brown wisp of hair fell out of its place behind her ear and she crammed it back forcefully. "Do you not listen? They were not going to 'drag me off' because I was not consuming their suppressant. I had a handle on things. It was only meant to speed up my inebriation, which obviously failed."

Really, any harm that could have come out of it had been averted, so why was he getting so worked up?

Link tore into his pork savagely. "Why didn't you send them away?"

"What is this? An interrogation?"

He pointed his fork at her. "If that is what you deem to call it."

Abruptly she shoved away from the table and stood.

He groaned and smacked his pork down on his plate. "Zelda, you can't just walk away whenever you are upset."

She slammed back down and pointedly looked at him with a glare full of ice. "I'm a nicer person than you, Link. That is why I didn't send them away."

"You need to be meaner then."

"And you think that would have shoed them off? You think they would have listened?"

Silence pervaded.

"I shouldn't have left you alone," he said after a while.

Zelda still had half her plate left but she was done with eating. She was done with this entire vacation. Come morning she would demand Link take her back to the castle, or at least let her borrow Dryad and go there herself.

Link was glaring at the table, boring holes into it with the heat of his gaze. He pushed away suddenly and stood. "Let's just…go to bed…"

When he opened his mouth to say more she swiftly snapped at him, "Silence!" she hissed. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

Link snapped his jaw shut and stiffly turned on his heels, clearing a path through the merrymakers until they reached the back hall and staircase that would lead them up to their room.

Once in their room and Link had the door closed and locked behind them, Zelda tore off her dress, leaving her in a simple white shift. She crawled into bed, moving to the very end and facing the wall. There was the sound of fabric rustling then Link too clambered under the blankets, facing away from her.

A silent ambience fell upon them, only disrupted by the hum of voices from the common room. Zelda tensed as Link shifted and accidentally bumped into her back before pulling away. She moved closer to the wall until she was nearly pressed up against it. Link shifted but didn't say anything.

Sleep was hard to come by that night. With anger coursing through her along with irritation at Link's mistrustfulness of her capabilities, she was kept awake for hours. It seemed that Link was also having difficulties, as he moved around a lot. In such a small bed it was hard not to be aware of his every movement, every slight shifting on the bed or tug at the blankets. Could he just not stay still?! She was almost tempted to snap at him, but then that would mean talking to him and doing that was liable to make her even more angry than she was now, meaning even less sleep to be had.

Eventually though there was another shift of the mattress as Link slid closer. She felt the light touch of his hand on her side, slightly hesitant.

She stiffened, "Don't."

Without a word he pulled away and Zelda could feel the frigid cold left in his absence.

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**A/N: Uh oh. Things are going downhill for our protagonists. In my opinion Zelda's being unreasonable, but it fits her character so I suppose it will have to do. **

**Any suggestions, comments, complaints? Parts you liked or disliked? Feel free to review and give your opinion!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Got carried away with this chapter, lol. Remember this is all lighthearted, no seriousness, but it does have a smidgeon of ridiculousness ^^**

**Thanks for reviewing: ultimateCCC, Generala, Ancient . tree, Guest (nov 6), Lady . Zayriah, Nintendoes Gamer, Guest (nov 7), SoftCadence, 11lol11, the reviewer, pokemonwhite2, A Shadow's Lament, randomishdude, A True NaZaMi Fan, Death Waltz, Astercia, Christine, Bloodspire, Guest (nov 20), and Trottingham-sama!**

**Wow, so this has become more popular in two months than my main story has in over half a year. I think that might say something about my writing...or maybe just the storyline in general, lol. **

* * *

**Chapter 6:**

The next morning when she awoke it was to cold silence. She rolled over and noted with a tinge of disappointment Link's empty space on the bed. Sighing she faced the ceiling and threw an arm over her head, staring blankly.

Her anger at Link had all but completely faded while she slept, giving her leave to think rationally and with a clear mind about the previous night's events. Guilt welled up within her as she thought about all she had said and done. Although Link had been a complete irrational idiot, there was no denying that she too had played a part in fueling their argument.

She knew Link to be stubborn. She should have done what she normally did and let it blow over, allow him to think that his rebuking was working then discard the whole thing right after he'd calmed down. But Link had been grilling her with so many questions; it _had_ been practically an interrogation. It showed that he lacked faith in her, that he thought her incapable of taking care of herself, that she was naïve and ignorant.

She frowned up at the ceiling then squeezed her eyes shut. Pulling the blankets aside, she rolled off the bed. She moved towards the basin and washed her face then went to get changed. The dress she'd worn to the lake had been washed and pressed, the tears it had sustained were neatly patched up with unnoticeable stitches. She pulled it on and folded the clothes she'd borrowed into a tidy pile on the chair. Lastly she ran a comb through her hair and deemed herself presentable.

Her thoughts once more returned to their argument. No, she was wrong. It wasn't that he lacked faith in her. He had been worried for her, and she had reacted defensively. For all she knew he'd taken that to mean that she didn't need nor want his protection, for him to be there for her.

She'd find him and apologize, that's what she'd do. And if he had any sense at all in that devilishly attractive body of his he'd apologize to her as well. After all, it was not completely her fault.

She headed down the stairs and entered the common room where a few people were up and about. Some ate their meals serenely while reading the morning paper, others groaned and grumbled, rubbing their aching heads as they set off to work.

Zelda cast a quick glance around for Link, frowning when she didn't spot him.

"Ma'am."

A server came up to her, nodding respectfully. "A gentleman by the name of Link told me to relay to you to go on ahead and eat your breakfast, he's just off to the market and will be back soon."

"Ah…thank you," she said, mind whirring in confusion.

The server nodded then went back to clearing dishes.

Zelda took a seat at one of the tables and was swiftly served breakfast. She ate languidly, wondering what Link needed at the market. And why had he not waited to take her with him? The impetuous little…

She sighed. Of course he wouldn't have wanted to ask her to go to the market with him, she'd been a complete icicle to him the night before. She'd done a most effective job of scaring him off.

When Link didn't return after breakfast Zelda got up, determined to look for him herself. First, however, she checked on the mare's. They neighed softy at her approach and she scratched their chins endearingly, moving from Dryad to Epona. She nodded to the stable hand, who was in the process of brushing down a brown gelding, then ventured outside.

The blue sky arched in a brilliant daze above her. Having chased away the storm from the night, the sun shone blindingly down from its high throne, lighting the world in sparkling colors.

The streets, which had been all but abandoned the night before, now bustled with activity. A carpenter and his crew slaved away on a new building down the street. From an alley a dog barked and toddlers laughed as they chased it. Further on, a vendor was calling out to passerby's as he advertised his wares.

Zelda started down the street, skirting the construction site, she drifted to where the most activity presided at the center of the village.

Heavy footfalls padded behind her and she slowed and moved to the side to allow them to pass. When they didn't pass and instead halted beside her she looked up to see the four men from last night carrying themselves awkwardly. One man had his hat clutched in his hands and was twisting it with reserve.

"Er - uh – miss," said the one named Callan, the evident spokesman.

Muscles tensing she responded cordially, "Yes?"

Rather than mocking her as he had done last night he ducked his head, his face flaming brightly. "Er – we…we came to apologize…to you…" he muttered, a void replacing the vast confidence he had exhibited from before.

Zelda cocked her head, staring at them in shocked confusion. For a moment she was trapped in indecision. Should she run or stay and hear what they had to say…?

Finally one of the men crumpled to his knees. "We didn't know! We're sorry! We didn't know that you were the Great Fairy Queen!"

Her mind blanked. She felt her jaw drop and took a step back. "What…?"

The other men imitated the first and fell to the ground and groveled. "Please highness! Oh great one! How were we supposed to know that you were the Queen of Fairies! And we almost tainted your purity!"

"Oh the shame!" wailed another.

From around her people were beginning to stare, pausing in curiosity at the sight. A heated blush rose to her cheeks, lighting the tips of her ears a dark shade of red. "I – uh…"

"Your guardian told us how important it was that you remain pure and virginal," said the first man. "We only saw your beauty and because of that we tainted you with temptation. We nearly sapped the life right out of you. We were only looking to show you a good time. We would have never forced you! Please spare us, we're only mere mortal men."

A shadow fell across her face at the mention of her so called 'guardian'. "He said that, did he…" Link, the blasted idiot! Oh, he would soon get his.

Seeking to escape the situation as quickly as possible –people were beginning to blatantly stare -, Zelda hastily bade them all to rise. It wasn't difficult reverting to her queenly persona, standing with poise and regality befitting one of royal status.

She blessed them all with a terse smile. "I hear your words and forgive you. Go now...," she said then added hastily, "And do not speak of this to anyone."

Graciously, the men got up and bowed.

"Oh thank you," simpered Callan. "Thank you your majesticness."

With a roll of her eyes she waved them off with some measure of annoyance. "Just go."

The men then turned tail and sprinted off, eager to obey. Zelda looked after them for a while then ducked her head down at the people staring. Soon though they went on with their business, the scene all but forgotten.

Zelda's attention was suddenly drawn by a snicker from a shaded alley. Upon looking over she saw Link emerge, arms folded and bearing the largest of smiles. "Well then, Fairy Queen, shall we be off?"

Zelda rounded on him, infused with anger and humiliation. "You! By the Sacred Realm, what did you tell them to make them believe that blatant lie!?"

He shrugged and said offhandedly, "A little fear inducement and a little bit of trickery goes a long way. Plus some lore about an ancient superstition. There's a reason they have fairy monuments at the end of every street," he explained. "Supposedly on occasion the Great Fairy wanders among us pathetic little mortals as a beautiful woman. An innocent virgin but at the same time a seductive temptress…"

She rolled her eyes. "Link, you are impossible!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him along down the street. "Queen of Fairies, indeed."

"Hey, I've met the Great Fairy," he said, allowing himself to be pulled along. "She's as innocent and tempting as they come."

"I didn't mean that I do not believe in her, it is just that…me? The Fairy Queen?" she scoffed. "I doubt I look anything like her."

Link smiled idly. "No, you don't. You cannot compare with her beauty." Indignation flared within her before Link hastily continued, "And she cannot compare to yours. You are both very distinctly beautiful."

Anger diminished, she leaned into him. "It all depends what type of woman you prefer then, hmm?"

He nodded. "Definitely her." His comment was rewarded by a sharp smack on the arm. He laughed teasingly, "I was joking. You are well aware I only have eyes for you."

Zelda laughed but then her demeanor fell as she realized how comfortable they were being with each other when they were supposed to be mad. As if joining her in her thoughts, Link began to shift awkwardly on his feet, a habit for whenever he was nervous. He averted his gaze, although she could see that his attention was still focused solely on her as if waiting for her to react, to snap at him.

She took a deep breath and touched his arm. "I'm sorry, for yesterday," she said, and his eyes quickly snapped to hers. "I don't want to be mad at you anymore."

His mouth tugged into a kind smile as he grasped her hands firmly. "I don't want to be mad either."

"And I don't want this to ruin our vacation," she added hesitantly.

He chuckled, "It won't." Her breath escaped her in a gasp as he then tugged her to him, his arms coming around her.

She closed her eyes and leaned into the hug. It felt so good, engulfed in his warm embrace she could feel the firmness of him, the hardness of his chest and abdomen beneath her fingers as she ran her hands up his front and grasped at his tunic.

"I knew you'd cave," he breathed lightly in her ear.

Zelda wrinkled her nose, frowning. "Oh please. You know you were about to cave first," she said, breathing in his scent. "You always do."

"That's because I love you so much," he replied warmly. "And because this certain little queen has a temper and an army at her convenient disposal."

She tensed her arms around his neck and narrowed her eyes. "Link."

"Hmm?"

"Don't ruin the moment."

He chuckled and Zelda couldn't help but smile. For a time they stood there in the middle of the street, embracing. Passerby's gave them curious glances, but paid them little heed. Apparently the attendant was right in saying that eloping was common in this town. The villagers acted almost indifferent to their loving display, as if such things happened quite often.

At length Link pulled away and took her hand. "Well, while we're here we might as well take a tour."

Zelda immediately perked up. A tour meant wandering around the village, and wandering around would eventually lead them to the market, which meant shopping! Did Link even realize this trap he had sprung?

Eyes brightening, she eagerly tugged at his arm. "Yes let's."

Time to stimulate the economy.

Link took her everywhere, accessing a basic layout of the village from somewhere in the back of his mind, he was able to find all the popular attractions. They first visited a small museum where there was a display of the hero of time era. The museum was virtually empty, everyone in the village having grown long bored of it, but for a few history fanatics.

As they walked down the halls and viewed the displays, Zelda was particularly captivated by one of the paintings, where an astonishing rendition of the hero of old stared back at her. The hero wore his green hero's garb, sword drawn and poised to attack. It featured him in that last battle against the Gerudo King in the form of a monstrous pig, about to deal the final blow.

Next to this painting was another of that same hero, this time in a beautiful glade in the woods playing a small blue instrument. His features were relaxed, eyes totally at peace as fairy lights floated around him.

Zelda gazed at the hero's face, took a peek at her current hero, looked back at the painting then peeked again. Other than a few minor differences in the hair coloring and overall facial shape they looked astonishingly alike. Now if only there was a painting of the past hero shirtless then she could begin to draw more thorough comparisons.

Link noticed her evaluation and smiled wolfishly. "He cuts quite the dapper figure, doesn't he?"

She raised an eyebrow at this and nodded in agreement. "I suppose he does."

"Must have been a ladies man in his day," Link went on and Zelda was at once all too aware of the heat of him at her back. "I imagine the women would have been tripping over their skirts to get at him. Who could possibly resist that handsome devil?"

He winced as she whirled around and poked him hard in the chest. "You only say that because you are practically his exact likeness."

He lowered his head and waggled his eyebrows. "And do you not think me verily handsome."

She turned away then looked at him sidelong, eyes sweeping over him in an exaggerated appraisal. "Verily indeed," she admitted, feeling her cheeks tinting a light rose.

Link stepped closer, forcing her to crane her head up at him. "Thereby," Link continued lowly, "All things considered, we are therefore able to assume that the hero of time must also have been very handsome."

Sighing, she rolled her eyes and moved down toward the next painting. "I never knew you to be so narcissistic."

Link chuckled and followed along until they reached the section with the sages. Upon finding a painting of the Sage of Time Zelda once again stopped and then looked back at him.

"Do I really look like her?"

Link winked. "Distinctive beauties, love."

Zelda bent forward over the red rope to further scrutinize the figure. She straightened and tapped a finger to her chin. "Well there are similarities to be had," she said. "But it seems that our features have darkened over time. Both the hero of time and my ancestor possess light colored hair and paler skin."

"That is just our souls becoming more corrupt over time," said Link. "Enough that it has started reflecting outward."

Once again Zelda rolled her eyes. "Perhaps for you, given your newfound nefarious tendencies, but not I. I ascertain you that were I corrupt I would not be able to wield my light magic."

"Oh," said Link, raising a brow. "One does not have to be evil to be corrupt." His eyes glinted mischievously. "I've seen you at court, remember? The way you order your subjects around is nothing less than depraved."

She frowned. "That's because those nobles seem to know nothing but how to nag me over the most frivolous things. Paltry disputes and insipid concerns can be dealt with on their own or by lesser authorities. Instead they choose to come to me and waste my valuable time attending to them."

"So they deserved it that time you refused to cancel your croquet event and forced the nobility to play outside while it poured?" Link shook his head chidingly and tutted. "Depraved."

"Yes, well," Zelda said, clearing her throat. "I'd thought they could use a good soak."

"I'm certain they appreciated it."

Zelda smiled at the memory. They certainly hadn't, but more satisfying than that was that they had all resolutely kept away from her a week after to show her just how displeased they were.

"I, for one, quite enjoyed the event."

Curiously, Zelda looked up at him as he was eyeing the painting then glanced down and gave her one of his searing gazes. "You do look lovely when drenched."

Zelda flushed a bright red. He did have a way of ruffling her feathers.

Suddenly her hand was taken as Link shot down another section, eyes bright with excitement. "Come, Zelda. We have not yet looked at the mask collection."

Once finished with the museum Link led her to a vendor where they purchased candied apples to eat while looking around the market. Zelda's eyes were wide as she took in all the items on display, remarking over glittering jewelry and various accessories. At one point Link was forced to wait outside as she tried on a number of dresses she found at a tailor's shop. She barely ever had an opportunity like this since usually the tailors would come to her and give her a basic description or picture of what her outfits would look like as they pinned materials around her. This way she could pick and choose which styles she liked before she had even bought them.

In the end she decided on a teal blue sleeveless dress with two slits that ran up along her thighs, beneath which she wore a pair of white shorts matched with a sash around her waist.

She stepped out in her new outfit and at once Link was riveted.

She smiled and turned to pay the vendor. The vendor gave her a bag in which to place her old dress and she thanked him kindly then they headed off once more.

"One dress," muttered Link abjectly. "All that time spent waiting and you only buy one dress."

She patted his arm before saying teasingly, "If you'd like I can return and buy another."

"No!" was his quick reply. He squeezed his eyes shut and ran a hand through his hair. "We're not going back so I can spend another hour of waiting just so that you _might_ buy one other dress."

Zelda smiled and leaned into his side, enjoying the feeling of his arm around her waist as they walked. So far the day was turning out to be very enjoyable.

A bell rang suddenly, and then the doors to the building up ahead were shoved open and children streamed out, running, laughing and being wild.

Zelda smiled as the horde ran down the streets, dodging soldiers, villagers and the like. They must have just gotten out of school and were determined to forget all that knowledge they had acquired by playing until sunset.

Link scowled and lifted her aside as a particularly rowdy bunch of boys barreled past, yelling and joking with each other without any heed to all the adults around them. Link set her down but kept his hands at her waist.

"Vile beasts," he muttered darkly, left hand twitching as if he was about to go for his sword. "Beware, Zelda, they may appear sweet and innocent, but inside there's something dark waiting to break through."

She pursed her lips in a confused frown. "I had thought you liked children." She remembered back during her imprisonment how determined he'd been to save those children from Ordon. Even as a wolf she had been able to detect his worry.

"Ah, you mean the beasts of Ordon," he said with repulse, although it was vastly overshadowed by the soft tenderness in his voice. "Once you're around them long enough they're easy to tame. Bribery, promises, and roughhousing are what tempt them."

She smiled, recalling her first trip to Ordon where she had witnessed firsthand Link's roughhousing with the children. He'd been shouted at numerous times by their parents for riling them up.

Goodness, but she did miss the small village. It must have been a few months since she'd last been to Ordon. Perhaps another visit was in order after she had completed her affairs with the Terminians.

Suddenly loud screaming rent the air. First one, then taken up by several individuals, all shouting and crying out in terror.

Link shot his head up and at once took off at a sprint, Zelda following close behind. Low growling could be heard among the screams spurring them to hasten.

Link and Zelda burst into a scene of pandemonium. The area had been hastily cleared as the soldiers herded the villagers away and barred their spears at a snarling grey wolfos. It circled and ducked around a fairy monument as it was attacked with spears.

Zelda's eyes widened at the sight of it. It was larger than any she'd ever seen before, baring fangs as long as her forearms. It snarled and snapped at the nearest soldier, who backed up after thrusting his spear at the creature's head.

There was a zing of metal and Zelda turned to see Link had drawn his sword. Cursing herself for being ill-prepared, Zelda quickly looked around to see if there was anything that she could use. Link, as if detecting the range of her thoughts, pulled out his hunting dagger and tossed it towards her. She quickly snatched it from the air.

"Help the villagers, I'll try to distract it!" called Link.

Zelda nodded and he shot off, darting past the soldiers and running towards the beast. She took a scan of the surroundings, carts toppled over, people hiding behind crates and boxes for shelter, covering their heads and quavering. At once she ran to them.

"Come, you must get to safety," she said hurriedly to a pair of vendors.

The vendors merely shook harder. "We can't! That thing will see us!"

"This is no place to hide!" she shot, frustrated. "You must get indoors!"

All of the sudden there was another shriek then a wailing. Zelda swerved around to see yet another wolfos had appeared and was stalking towards two children backed against a wall. The older child placed herself in front of her brother, blocking him from the wolfos. The wolfos snapped its jaws and prowled ever closer.

Zelda looked around. Link and the soldiers were still occupied with the first wolfos, they didn't know there was another. Upon spotting the second wolfos the vendors cried out and bolted from behind their carts, running to their homes.

Zelda tightened her grip on the dagger and rushed at it. Just as the wolfos reared on its hind legs and began to draw its paw back to slash at the children Zelda skidded in, slicing the dagger along the wolfos' snout as she did.

The wolfos howled and recoiled before snarling, lips pulled back and baring its long fangs at her. Zelda stood firm in front of the children, her eyes never leaving that of the wolfos'.

"Children, run," she ordered.

The girl grabbed her brother's hand and pulled him into a desperate sprint. The wolfos made to go after them but Zelda swiftly put herself in its path, dagger upraised.

The wolfos raised its hackles before feinting to the side. Zelda cursed as she fell for it and the wolfos darted behind her, skidding around, it charged at her, jaws wide open. Zelda quickly brought the dagger up as it tackled her, pinning her to the ground. She made a slash at its bare throat but it leapt off and once again turned to face her.

Zelda shot to her feet and held her dagger toward the beast. The wolfos lowered its head, ready to launch at her. Suddenly it let out a yelp and reared back. Zelda saw a group of soldiers behind it, having seen the ruckus they'd come to help. One of them raises a bloodied spear and prepared to attack once more.

The wolfos snapped its jaws and then shot at her, claws outstretched ready to tear into her. Zelda ducked and then rolled behind it. She shot up and tossed the dagger aside. Jumping onto the creature's back she leapt off it into the air.

She turned mid flight, lighting her hands with magic, and forming a bow and arrow. She pulled the arrow back and then released. The arrow zoomed forward, impaling the wolfos directly between the eyes.

The wolfos dropped to the ground, blood trickling from its forehead down its snout as the light arrow disappeared.

Flipping midair, Zelda landed in a crouch then got up to assess the creature. One of the soldiers hesitantly came up to it and prodded it with his spear.

"That one's dead," he declared, pushing his visor up and wiping his brow.

She approached them, eyeing the wolfos warily. "Why would a wolfos enter the village?" To her knowledge they kept to the woods mostly, avoiding any populated areas.

The soldier looked up at her, frowning. "This pack has been prowling around the village for days now, stealing livestock and frightening the people," he explained. "As you can see, they're larger than most. They must have become overconfident and decided to risk attacking the village directly. We've killed some of them off, but never the alphas. Looks like they wanted revenge for their pack mates."

Zelda looked up. "Is this the alpha?"

The soldier plodded closer and looked the wolfos over. "Looks like it's the alpha female. She's the second largest in the pack."

Slowly she nodded.

Her ears pricked at the sound of a rushed set of footsteps. Link bounded toward her and she was slammed into his hard body as he snatched her up in his arms. Quickly, she grabbed onto his shoulders to stabilize herself.

"You were magnificent!" he said into her hair as he buried his head into her neck.

Zelda smiled and wrapped her arms around his head. "It was only a wolfos."

Link snorted, "Only a wolfos, she says." He set her down.

Four wolfos bodies in total could be seen dead on the ground. Two had been slain by Link, the other by the Glenwood soldiers. People had started to creep out of their houses, staring wide-eyed at the dead beasts.

A man spotted Link and Zelda and pointed at them. "Look, it's the ones who saved us from the wolfos!"

All at once people raised their voices in a raucous cheer. Link looked down at Zelda and shrugged, giving a hopeless grin.

Zelda sighed as she looked over the crowd of faces. "It would have been nice to keep a low profile…"

From behind them one of the soldiers snapped his visor up and whined. "Man! No one ever acknowledges us."

Link spun around, hair breezing against his face. "Men, you have my thanks. Without your assistance the lovely lady and I would have been completely overwhelmed. You've done an excellent job protecting the village."

The soldier then scuffed his feet abashedly while the others cheered. The one who had assisted Zelda with her wolfos came up to them, hand outstretched. "I would have the names of such valiant warriors."

Link grasped the hand and shook it firmly. "The name's Shad."

Zelda withheld her chuckle. Perhaps it was because she already knew a Shad, but whenever someone mentioned that name she unconsciously pictured a nerdy looking man with glasses and kept hair. She tried to picture Link with glasses and had to bite her lip and look away.

The soldier blinked and peered at Link. "Haven't I…seen you somewhere before?"

Swiftly, Zelda decided to step in and distracted them by tugging on Link's arm. "Come on _Shad_. You can make the acquaintance of these fine gentlemen later. Take me back to the inn. I need to wash this blood off of me."

Link turned away and said over his shoulder, "Perhaps another time then."

The soldier nodded, "Certainly." Turning he called to his men, ordering them about removing the wolfos bodies and keeping the villagers out of the way.

Once they were far down the street and out of hearing range Zelda found she could no longer hold back her laughter. "_Shad_?" she gasped between giggles.

Link faced forward and scowled, ignoring the people calling to them cheerily as they passed. "It was the first name that came to mind. That was close, that soldier almost recognized me, and I'm surprised that no one has recognized you. Amazing how people appear so different in different contexts."

Yes, without her crown and regal attire she must look very much like an ordinary citizen. Then again, her people probably would have never thought she'd do something like this.

She covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, smiling through her fingertips.

Link glared at her. "Zelda…," he said in warning.

Her eyes shone with mirth as she looked at him. "You didn't want to introduce yourself as Dark Link?"

Abruptly she was yanked by the waist and pulled into a darkened alley where Link bore down on her. He kissed her with a passion and she groaned before he pulled away.

"You've grown fond of the name?" asked Link, pressing her close against the wall as he pushed against her. "I thought you only wanted to call me Link."

"Link..." she gasped as he planted kisses along her neck. "We need...to wash."

"Later," he murmured against her throat, creating a lovely vibration on her skin, which she couldn't help but moan at. "Busy now..."

She smiled and let herself be swept along by the pleasure. It was a little while later as things were becoming more heated that she managed to convince Link to take her back to the inn to continue in a more private setting. Eagerly he hastened them to their room where he locked the door and she put up a silencing charm. They were neither seen nor heard of for the next few hours.

* * *

**A/N: A little Hyrule Warriors inspired I think. I should have used a king dodongo ^^**

**Very fast paced. I'm a bit iffy about this chapter, so tell me what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Warning for a hint of lime at the end. (Thank you fiarill2 for clarifying that term for me ^^)**

**Thanks for reviewing: Generala, Guest (nov 22), Bloodspire, 11lol11, Reader314, InLoveWithLink, Twokeys, A True NaZaMi Fan, Death Waltz, SoftCadence, Ancient . tree, Astercia, Trottingham-sama, and Bison DayCare!**

* * *

**Chapter 7:**

Sir Hadrian was at a loss. They had literally searched high and low, afield and yonder, overturned brick and stone, and still they searched unsuccessfully. Lord Raleigh was counting on them – Hyrule was counting on them – to complete their mission. They had four more days to carry it out, they were growing pressed with every tick of the clock, and the lack of results was demoralizing.

Even Ashei was out of ideas. They had scoured all of Link's regular haunts, just in case he had fooled them with his direction. They had split up to search places where he knew the people well. Zoras Domain, Kakariko, Snowpeak, and Lake Hylia were being investigated thoroughly. He and his fraction of knights had been assigned Ordon, Link's home village.

It was a pleasant place with pleasant people. He'd been there before only once about a year back, and from that single visit he had gotten a good overall impression of the place. It was very remote, a flat glade in the middle of the woods, surrounded by forestry, which only added a damper on their morale. So much woodland to search through... Also the people of Ordon were excessively loyal to Link, which meant they could be hiding him with no intention of giving him away.

It was a complex situation because the villagers could be lying to them and they wouldn't suspect a thing, and if they did force a search it would imply that they didn't believe the villagers and that they thought them untrustworthy and they might take offense to that. Hadrian had taken great pains to organize the search carefully, announcing it as a safety measure. He had told the villagers that Link had gone rogue, and played it out as if a dark spirit had possessed his body and they were simply to detain him then bring him back to the castle for exorcising.

It went against all his values to lie, Sir Link would be highly ashamed of him, it violated the Knight's Code of Honor, it was sacrilege! Nonetheless, it was necessary. That way they could go through the houses without permanently sullying the Ordonian's image of the Knights of Hyrule.

However it had all been for nothing. They'd looked in every nook and cranny of the village and surrounding woodland and found nothing. Not even a single trace of him. Link hadn't been to Ordon in weeks.

Link's home was a tree house just outside the village border, a lookout of sorts. Hadrian had stayed there that single visit; back then it had slapped him in the face with how humble Link's origins really were. It was a sobering thought, that their champion was not privileged among them. That he was…ordinary. As ordinary as a hero chosen by the Goddesses could be, that is.

He stood on the landing of Link's tree house pondering the situation. Where would Link go? He must have had some place prepared, some hideaway to take the queen. He wouldn't make her majesty brave the wilderness, survive in the outdoors with him…would he?

He could hear shouting as Ashei yelled at a fellow knight for some reason or another. She was always quick to call on their stupidity, and this man must have really done something _ingenious_ to get her so worked up.

Hadrian tensed as he heard the rustling of leaves and then something fell out of the tree and plunked a foot away from him. Hadrian had his sword halfway out before he saw that it was only a young woman.

Slowly she turned and faced him, gifting him with a nymph-like smile.

He stared…then blinked.

She had a cherub face, framed by a curling pixie cut, with bright green eyes as the centerpiece. Her clothes were those of a peasant, but they were not at all plain or unattractive, and he noted that she was missing any sort of footwear.

She smiled and posed, putting her hands behind her and leaning against the wooden planks of Link's home.

"Sir Hadrian, was it?"

He remembered her face from before, although he couldn't recall her name. Link might have introduced her at one point, but it must have been in passing, otherwise he couldn't have forgotten.

"Yes," he said after a pause. "Forgive me, but…"

Sensing his trouble, she responded. "I'm Ilia, a friend of Link's. We grew up together."

His attention peaked. Someone who knew Link from the cradle had to know him well. "Would you happen to know where he would run off to with… as he is now?"

She looked him squarely in the eyes then laughed, "He's not you know. Possessed, that is."

He coughed and glanced at her sidelong. "What makes you say that?"

Pushing off the wall, she dropped over the side of the trunk and scurried down the ladder. From the ground she stuck her hands on her hips, gazing up at him. "I'm not as gullible as the rest of the village. I knew you were lying right from the start." She turned, twisting her head over her shoulder so she could still see him. "I won't tell anyone, if you're wondering. Buuuuut…" She whirled around and planted a sunny smile on her face. "Come to my house for dinner tonight. That's the only condition for my silence." She made a zipping motion over her mouth and Hadrian thought it made her look incredibly childlike.

She spun around, jogging toward the village. "It's the biggest house, next to the ranch gates. Don't be late!" she called out before disappearing down the lane.

A soft breeze filled the glade as Hadrian stared after her.

He blinked, bewildered. "What…just happened?" Was this where Link got his boldness from?

"I'll tell you what happened," a sly voice rang out from below.

Passing through the trees were Dame Ashei, Sir Walter, and another knight, Sir Leonard. Ashei marched into the clearing, hands poised on her hips as she leered up at him.

"Well well well, yeah," she said impishly. "Rescue mission turned romantic rendezvous, I see."

Sir Leonard stepped forward and stomped his heel into the ground. "So, you gave up our assignment for a pretty face, huh? You told her the truth about Link, that he's not in fact possessed." He jabbed an accusing finger at him. "You're not supposed to fall for a pretty face! This goes against all our teachings as Knights of Hyrule. Sir Link would be ashamed of you! You never see him flagging at the whims of a woman."

Ashei crossed her arms and scoffed, "Yeah, just the queen."

"The queen's different, she's our monarch," snapped Leonard. "You don't listen to her and you are dead. D. E. A. D! She'd tie the noose herself."

"Don't go on a riot, Sir Leonard," said Walter, calmly. "It is only a dinner. Besides, I don't think Sir Link is here."

Hadrian snapped his gaze to him. "What makes you say that?"

Walter shrugged. "Call it a hunch, or…" he unearthed a folded piece of white paper from behind his back, holding it up between two fingers. "This missive just arrived by courier, from Shad back at the castle. He's heard of our plight and sent this to provide us with some information that might prove useful."

They all waited for Walter to carry on. The man turned the paper over and perused it. "It appears we've been wasting our time in the wrong section of the forest," he muttered to himself. "Ivy manor, northeast Faron woods."

Hadrian jumped down the ladder and came to huddle around the letter with the others.

"Link owns an estate?" cried Leonard, shocked.

Ashei looked over the writing and nodded. "It appears so, yeah. Trust Shad to research something as vague as this. I didn't even know he had any property, yeah." Then she added with a jerk of her head, "Besides that tree thing."

Hadrian took the letter and held it tense in his hand. This was it, this was their last chance…

"So," Walter prompted after a cursory silence. "Do we set out?"

He stared at the letter pondering long and hard, then folded it, tucking it neatly away in his pouch. "We stay the night in Ordon. Be ready to leave in the morning."

Ashei grinned broadly and saluted. "Yessir! And have fun with your lady friend."

Leonard shot him a disapproving glance, while Walter shook his head in mirth.

Sir Hadrian ignored all that as he went to prepare for dinner.

* * *

As the day drew to a close and evening set in, Link and Zelda finally headed downstairs, after hours of 'special alone time' followed by quick baths, only to be greeted by a raucous applause upon stepping into the common room.

The room was crowded with what appeared to be everyone in the village. The soldiers, vendors, Callan and his crew, everyone calling and cheering to them.

Zelda was well used to scenes such as this, given her position as queen, but never before had she been welcomed simply for a reason other than her status. She smiled and stepped into the room, suppressing her automatic urge to wave.

"Ugh, I think I'll pass on dinner tonight," said Link, slipping back out into the hall. Zelda quickly grabbed his arm.

"Oh no you don't," she said, yanking him back into the room. Link had never been fond of his popularity as a hero, and even under disguise it appeared he was still being shoved onto a pedestal.

Zelda, for one, didn't mind at all since for once they got to share that same pedestal, whereas as queen and hero they'd each had their own and it was always uncertain which stood higher than the other. Yes, this was much nicer.

They were immediately pulled in, and Zelda mingled easily with the masses. Everyone seemed to approach them at once, all wanting to talk with them or buy them drinks, which at once uplifted Link's mood. His mood was only further improved when a group of children came up to him, wanting him to describe the fight in full detail. They then participated in helping Link reenact the battle against the wolfos, the children all playing the part of the evil wolfos as Link fought them off.

Soon they were all rolling on the ground, Link pretending to groan in pain as he was jumped on from all sides by tiny figures as the children laughed and growled at him, clinging to his arms and torso. The people watching cheered or taunted him, laughing all the while.

Zelda watched the mock battle, eyes shimmering in amusement as Link was steadily being taken down by the miniature beasts. Around her the villagers spoke incessantly and it was becoming difficult to keep track of all they were saying as they consistently tried to speak above each other.

Callan and his boys, Zelda found, were much more pleasant when not on the prowl. More than once she found herself laughing and smiling at their jokes and cheering along with them as Link begged for mercy from the tiny savages.

In the end, Link was saved as the children's attention was stolen by a flautist who began playing on the stage near the hearth. Feigning exhaustion, he trudged up to the seat that had been saved for him next to Zelda and slumped against the table, his head buried in his arms, hair falling in disarray.

Zelda smiled and patted him on the back, taking a sip of her deku tea.

People began to drift off, returning to their own circles as they had their dinners.

Callan stood from his spot next to her, chuckling at the sight of a defeated Link, obviously having let bygones be bygones. He winked slyly at her, "See you around, your majesty."

Zelda's heart stuttered before she remembered. He still thought her the Fairy Queen.

She smiled lightly at him, amusement shone in her face. "You as well."

Callan grinned widely, "Always a pleasure," then left, followed by the rest of his crew.

She continued patting Link's back but drew away as he sat up and fixed his hair, slanting her a winning grin. "They're not so bad once they've got some stupidity knocked out of them," he said, referring to Callan and the others.

Zelda hummed, "Indeed." She appraised him with laughing eyes. "Had enough for the day, oh great hero? I find it very disconcerting how you're able to take down a pack of wolfos, however when faced with a few mere children you are easily overcome," she said, leaning forward. "Should I be worried?"

Link scowled and thumped the table with a fist. "Vilest of beasts. Didn't I tell you? Children can be brutal at the best of times, demonic at the worst."

It took all she had to hold back her laughter. "So if they ever decide to band together and take over Hyrule I won't be able to count on you to protect the castle?"

"Great Din! If they ever decided to ban together there'd be no hope for us," said Link, looking truly terrified. "Fortunately, they're too savage to think in such way's, so let's keep it hush and not give them any ideas."

Zelda nodded conspirationally. "Very well. Anything for the safety of Hyrule."

A plate of food was suddenly placed down in front of her, and another in front of Link, accompanied by two glasses and a bottle of wine. The innkeeper smiled down at them as he unstoppered the wine and poured them their drinks.

"From my special stores. On the house," he said brightly. "Don't know how many people would have been hurt if you two had not been here."

Zelda was about to protest before Link took her hand and squeezed it. Once the innkeeper left Link explained. "Let the man show his gratitude. If he couldn't then it would become one of his greatest regrets in life."

She stared at him as Link looked away, suddenly morose. From under the table she squeezed his hand back. "You speak from experience."

He glanced sidelong at her, a small smile on his lips. "The Hero's Shade… He taught me all the tricks to sword fighting and then just vanished after that last lesson. I didn't even get to say a thank you."

She scooted her chair closer so that she could lean against him, offering him some small comfort. "I'm sure he knows you appreciate it."

"Yeah," said Link softly, his free hand lazily threading through her hair. "It was sometimes uncanny how well he could read me."

They ate their meal in silence, leaning against each other all the while. The common room slowly began to clear out as people left for home, anticipating another day of work ahead of them.

A little while later, Link and Zelda moved from their table to a spot on the rug close to the hearth where they drank tea and spoke of frivolous things. The tavern was empty now but for a few lingering patrons and the server, Dana, who was cleaning the tables.

Seeing that her cup was empty, Link took it from her and got up. "Here, I'll get you some more."

"Alright," she responded as Link trod off.

The innkeeper and the attendant were sitting at one of the booths near the front, drinking and eating their meals now that there were less people to serve. Link was stopped as the innkeeper called him over and pulled him into a conversation.

Zelda smiled and went back to staring at the fire, absorbing the heat, warm against her skin.

She paid little attention to the men's talk, although her pointed ears did occasionally twitch whenever Link's voice rose up. It was days like this that she wished could last forever.

She became lulled in the comforts, reclining against the side of one of the sofas, she allowed her eyes to slip shut. They opened, however, at the sound of rushed footsteps and the feel of Link's fingers as he grabbed onto her wrists and pulled her up.

She gazed at him confused, his face no longer a relaxed calmness, but hardened with severity, his lips thinning as he dragged her along behind him.

She hurried to keep up. "Link? What's going on?"

He didn't respond as they darted into the hallway, making for the stairs. He cussed as they heard the distinct sound of a door opening, and went for the nearest room. Opening the door, he shoved her in then followed after into the cramped space.

"Zelda, lock it," he hissed.

Trying to maneuver around him, she did so at once, using her magic to push the tumblers into place as a low click sounded. She then turned to face Link. "Now tell me, what's going…on…?"

It only occurred to her then how very closely they were pressed up against each other. The room offered little space to move around and by the musty smell and the items pressing against her side she was able to deduce that they were in a closet full of cleaning supplies.

Link looked down at her and she could see how his blue eyes flashed in the darkness with sudden feralness. "Well now," he spoke lowly, almost huskily. "Isn't this the most cliché scenario we've ever been in." He leaned down until their faces were almost touching, pushing his body against her so fully she could feel every inch of him through their clothing. "You, me, trapped in a broom closet…"

She leveled him a steely glare, not knowing whether or not he could see it from his angle. "And why is it that we are here in the first place?"

He busied himself with layering kisses down her cheek. She squirmed and tried to push away, wanting to maintain her seriousness, but she was effectively as he put it, trapped.

He murmured as he brushed his lips against her collarbone, pulling the hem of her dress down to expose the skin, eliciting a startled gasp from her. "Hyrulean knights," he muttered, distractedly. "Outside…looking for us… Sir Ryan is among them."

One of his hands snaked down her side and grasped at her thigh, moving it to the side so he could fit his hips in between her legs, parting them further and straining her dress. He pushed a leg against her center and she could not help the cry that escaped her lips.

"Ah!"

Link swiftly swooped down and kissed her, absorbing her moans into his mouth as he began to grind against that sacred spot. "Hush, Zelda," he said smiling, speaking with his lips against hers, a trace of amusement to his tone. "They'll hear you."

Zelda shuddered and tried to ignore all the feelings that Link provoked from her body, but it was impossible. She could only cling to him and moan breathlessly, it was a trial to even think with what he was doing to her.

"As-as if…this is all m-my fault…," she stammered, biting down viciously on her bottom lip as a he brushed up against a rather pleasurable spot that would have had her squealing were they in bed.

Link's hands were all over her, squeezing her thighs, rubbing along her sides and brushing through her hair. She was in ecstasy, and for a moment it didn't matter that they were in a broom cupboard at an inn with people not twenty feet away from the door on the other side. Nothing existed but her and Link and all the delightful little things he was doing to her.

But then it all stopped as Link froze. He covered her mouth with a hand just as she was about to whimper from frustration, but then she heard it. Those voices, so close at hand. Sir Ryan was talking to the innkeeper as they entered the hall.

"You're sure you haven't seen anyone of their description?" he asked, both annoyed and angry.

The innkeeper merely grunted. "We get a lot of visitor around here. Hard to keep track of every new face after a while."

"Well try to remember harder then," hissed Ryan.

The innkeeper hummed for a moment in thought, before he snapped his fingers. "Aha! I remember now. They're that couple who came here to elope!"

Zelda gripped Link's arms tightly as they tensed around her. She could practically hear Ryan's tone thicken with nausea.

"She- he- they what?!"

The innkeeper responded brightly, "Yes, a couple just as you described came in about three weeks ago wanting to marry and quickly leave for Termina. Such a pleasant pair they were."

As he said this, Link relaxed his hold, nosing her hair softly. Zelda shivered as his breath hit her ear.

Ryan growled in irritation. "I meant recently, you fool! Within the past few days, have you seen either of them?"

"Nope, can't say I have," replied the innkeeper.

Sir Ryan became silent a moment. "They could always be in disguise. I'll have my men search the rooms."

"That is an invasion of privacy!"

"I have a warrant from the minister Raleigh himself, enabling my team to search any place we believe that Link may be hiding," shot Ryan. "I'm afraid this is above your clients' petty privacy."

The innkeeper grumbled for a bit before blustering, "Very well. But they won't be happy about this."

"I assure you, neither am I," said Ryan, footsteps fading down the hall after the innkeeper as he and his men were led up the stairs.

Link and Zelda stayed frozen in place, before Link suddenly resumed his earlier ministrations. Zelda pushed against his biceps, trying to move him away so she could get to the door.

"Link!" she hissed. "This is not the time." She then tensed, withholding a groan as he rubbed against that pleasurable spot once more.

He whispered breathily in her ear, "It's over anyways. They'll soon find our packs in our room then they'll know we're here." He dug his hands into her hips. "Might as well enjoy ourselves while we can."

She shuddered as he then proceeded to bite the tip of her ear, nibbling on it and flitting his tongue over it. She slumped against his chest, unable to move, unable to hold herself up at this point. Then it hit. She shattered.

She keened as an immense flood of pleasure swept through her system. Link kept on grinding as she was assaulted by the feeling of bliss. Soon though it died down and she lay listlessly in his arms, reveling in the aftermath. Slowly he stopped his movements and bent forward to kiss her cheek.

"Worth it?" he asked after a short while.

She sighed softly, battling with herself. Should she deny it and be mocked, or agree and only further encourage him? "I suppose," she hummed tiredly. "Although the place and timing are quite undignified."

"Good," he chuckled, "then you can pay me back later."

Right as she was about to throw a sharp retort at him, there was a click and the door swung open. Zelda was only grateful that no clothing had been removed and that the small amount of space justified their current position entwined together or else she would have been deeply mortified. As it was she flushed just the same as the attendant peered in from the hall.

He paused at the sight of the two of them and sighed. "Riiiiight. Not eloping at all."

"I told you we already went through that," retorted Link as he shimmied through the door and then helped her out.

"Link!" she hissed, squeezing his hand for all she was worth, as if trying to somehow break it.

He smiled back at her. "Ah, that's right, love. No one is supposed to know about it."

"Hey, tone it down unless you want those knights to find you here," shot the attendant, motioning them down the hall.

Zelda and Link looked at one another in confusion before following.

"You didn't give us away then?" said Link tentatively.

The attendant snorted. "I told you, no information about any of our patrons is ever divulged. This village is close to the border you know. Many people have come through while escaping the invasion or running off to explore new lands."

"But these are Hyrulean Knights after us," said Link, frowning. "What if we were convicts? Do you help enemies of Hyrule as well?"

That was a very good point. Zelda understood keeping a customer's privacy, but if they went against the law then that could be troublesome. The attendant didn't seem to worry though as he took them outside to the stables.

"Convicts are a different matter," he said looking back at them. "But you're not a convict are you, hero."

"Eh?" responded Link lamely, pausing. Zelda pushed him through the doors and they immediately set to preparing their horses.

"I got your things but I didn't have time to get the horses ready," said the attendant, passing on their packs for them to stow away in the saddlebags.

"And how is it that you know of Link's status?" asked Zelda, tightening the straps on Dryad's saddle before patting the dark horse on the nose.

The attendant shrugged. "Garth, a close friend of mine, one of the soldiers, recognized him and remembered him as the Hero of Twilight." He turned to look at Zelda. "I don't even have to guess who that makes you."

She gave him a sheepish smile as she swung up on Dryad's back. "Secret's out then, I suppose."

"Only Garth and I have figured it out," he replied. "And maybe Arthur, the owner of the inn. It didn't look like you were being held against your will so we didn't do anything about it."

"Good man," inserted Link, steering Epona out of her stall to come up beside Zelda. "It's a good thing they didn't look in here. Sir Ryan would have recognized Epona at once. I'm going to have to berate him for the oversight." He smiled as if taking great pleasure at the thought.

"You should go now," insisted the attendant urgently. "While Arthur is stalling them. I hope you can both ride in the dark."

Zelda gave Link a look. "We'll be fine," she said, kicking Dryad's flanks and urging her forward.

The attendant called after them, "Good luck with…whatever it is you both are doing."

Link shot Zelda a wolfish grin, which had her blushing straight to her ear tips. She never wanted anyone to know what they'd been doing for most of this vacation.

She cleared her throat. "Thank you for helping us."

The attendant waved them off. "Just get going. My help will be useless if you get caught in the end anyways."

With that they shot off down the road into the darkness.

* * *

_**Reader314**_**: I'll just refer to you as Reader314 then. Makes it easier ;)**

_**Twokeyz**_**: That…is a good point you make (about the timeline stuff). Actually, I did have that somewhere in my notes, but forgot to put it in the story, heh heh. Since I'm too lazy to go back and insert it in the chapter, I'll just tell you here. Basically it was all OoT Zelda's fault. She wanted to chronicle Link's adventures so wrote it all down – much to his dismay – and let the public have at it. People read the books, some believed them some didn't, but eventually over time it became legend anyways. The paintings in the museum were actually done by OoT Zelda. Grand huh.**

**Pertaining to Born to Rule, that story's on hold for a while since I need to straighten out the plot and get it all figured out. I will be finishing it though, eventually. ^^' sorry about that.**

**In answer to your review for Clandestine (because I'm not sure you'd read the next chapter to see the reply). Understood. I actually admire that you won't read things that go against your morals. Not many people do that these days. Lots of my friends say it doesn't matter because it's all fictional anyways, but according to psychology you become desensitized to whatever you're exposed to. So good on you! (Although, I would like to know what it is that you won't read so I can confirm or deny any of that happening in future chapters). In any case, I still love you and appreciate that you like my other stories! ^^**

**On that note, I'm going to say that I love all my readers whether you review or not! Simply taking the time to read my work is enough for me! XOXO**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I don't know why, but I kept having difficulties with writing this chapter. My muse hasn't disappeared at all or anything, it's just weird. It baffles me. Ah well. It's here now, although I might alter it a bit later on. **

**Rated M for a reason children! This chapter is very playful. Very very very playful. Beware the blatant suggestive themes and overall steaminess.**

**Thanks for all the reviews: A True NaZaMi Fan, Nintendoes Gamer, Grassy Nol, ultimateCCC, Bloodspire, lissani, pokemonwhite2, Moontrance6, UnNatrually Me, Climar of Turalis, 11lol11, Generala, Winter's White Moon, Death Waltz, Ancient . tree, Twokeyz, leontinees, Astercia, SoftCadence, Reader314, Christine, Solo Top or Feed, Lisa Violet, WaddleBuff, animeflunky, fiarill2, Finvarra Faerie, and DarknessFathom! And thanks for everyone who put this on their favorite or follow!**

**Thank you WaddleBuff for pointing out those errors! They've all been corrected.**

* * *

**Chapter 8:**

They had only one day left. Tomorrow, as per agreement, Link was supposed to take her back to the castle, back to stress, dreariness, and hardship. For now though, they were determined to take advantage of the time they had by engaging in one of their favorite two-person activities.

Zelda ducked behind a decorative monument as Link heedlessly swung his sword overhead, steel ringing as it grated against the stone. In a flash she twirled around and erupted from the other side, bearing down on him with her rapier, her movements fluid and swift. Link was forced into the defense, hurriedly bringing his sword up to block. When it came to speed he was vastly outmatched against her, but, she reflected, he wasn't known as one of the greatest swordsmen in Hyrule for nothing. Somersaulting backwards, he drew back his sword and thrust it through her defenses.

He smiled as Zelda twisted away to avoid it. She countered by leaping at his right, going in for a conveniently placed opening. Inwardly she grinned. She knew he had exposed himself on purpose, expecting to take her by surprise when she fell for it, but what he didn't know was that she deliberately went for it, arranging a surprise of her own.

As anticipated, Link took advantage of her supposed slip up and slashed her sword away. Eyes glinting, he spun it around and brought her crashing against a wall, swords locked in a grind, the edge of his blade touching gently against her throat.

He grinned widely at her, sweat gleaming off his brow. "I win," he taunted in a voice that was gleeful and so full of arrogance that it made her roll her eyes.

She tightened her grip on her rapier and grinned back at him. "Think again, hero."

Confused, his eyes flitted downward – overtly resting for a moment on the sight of her heaving breasts – to find, pressed against his stomach, the blade of a knife. She laughed as his face shown with bewilderment before he groaned and stepped back, ceding defeat.

"Damnable woman," he groused, lowering his sword and striding in a huff to the terrace where he poured himself a glass of water from a pitcher that one of the servants had laid out for them.

They had made it back to Ivy manor without any complications. Sir Ryan and the other knights had been too preoccupied with searching the village to even know to give chase. Only the night watch had noticed the two riders slipping away in the dark, some sending them off with hearty waves. The staff at Ivy Manor had not at all been surprised by their abrupt return in the middle of the night. The butler had received them at the door, wrapped in shawl, eyes drooping and holding a lamp aloft. He had muttered curiously then awoken the stable boy to take care of the mares and somehow managed to rustle Cilla out of bed so she could prepare them baths. Or rather, _a_ bath. She had grumbled that she wasn't doing anymore than that and didn't care if Link fired her for insolence, before going back to bed. Fortunately, having separate baths hadn't even crossed their minds.

That morning Zelda had felt refreshed and exhilarated from all the excitement of the day before. She had wanted to do something fun and sparring had been it. It also helped to work out the kinks in her left shoulder. She didn't want it to seize up and become stiff after it had been so recently battered.

Zelda placed the knife back in the hidden compartment on her thigh then crossed her arms, narrowing a pair of bright accusing eyes at Link.

Link caught her stare and raised an eyebrow in inquiry, lifting the glass to take a large swig of water.

Irately, she huffed, "That was entirely too easy. You haven't been taking this duel at all seriously, have you?"

He placed the cup down, poured some more water then held it to her. Keeping her glare, Zelda snatched the cup from his hand and took a sip, relishing in the cool feeling of the liquid pouring down her throat, quenching a bit of her thirst.

"And don't you deny it," she went on, taking another sip, "I can tell when you're giving it your all."

Link cast her a sidelong glance and shrugged, lips twitching into a smile. "I had no intention of denying it. Whatever my queen say's, I am obliged to agree with her."

The - the audacity!

Sometimes he made her want to use him for target practice! It would be difficult not to automatically aim at his vulnerable spots, but she'd do her best. With her skill - with arrows or knives, she wasn't too particular which - she had no doubt she could easily create an outline around his figure, perhaps accidently pinning his clothes as well. He could use a bit of a scare. He was becoming far too brash.

"A selective trait it seems," replied Zelda, amused and irked all at once. "You tend to only agree to whatever I say if it appeals to your fancy."

Link sat down in one of the chairs, grinning widely, and placed his sword on the table. "I shall agree with you there." He indicated for her to come over, patting his leg in invitation.

A retort was immediately readied on her tongue but she stilled it. Instead she gave a small smile and smoothly approached him, making sure to exaggerate the sway of her hips. She deposited the cup on the table and placed herself across his lap, hands clasping around his neck, one still grasping her rapier. Link's arms at once settled around her waist as he gazed at her heatedly.

A silky smile found its way to her lips. Oh, but she did love it when he looked at her like that. As if she was the only thing in his focus, as if she were his alone to worship and adore. His queen.

Sitting across his legs at this height her eyes came up to his chin. My, how he had grown since that time she had first met him all those years ago. He'd been seventeen and she had been twenty, back then they'd both been the same height. She still remembered the first ball he had been invited to after the invasion. As it had been a celebratory function meant to collect donations from the nobility for war reparations, she and Link had been required to dance the opening waltz.

It was one of her fondest memories. Nearly everyone had been enchanted at the sight of them together. In her heels she had been the one looking down at him, making him appear even more so the boy that he was. It had made him particularly nervous and he had been tense throughout the entire dance as he had held her and tried to remember all the steps he had been taught.

Now their situations had become reversed, as he was the one looking down at her. She couldn't deny that she much preferred it this way.

She gazed up at him and leaned in close, breath ghosting across his cheek as she whispered, "And would it appeal to you to agree if I should ask you to kiss me?"

He was breathing heavily now, his fingers digging into her flesh through her clothes and pulling her closer. "Goddesses, Zelda, how could I not." With that, he swooped down and captured her lips with his.

Zelda moaned into the kiss, lips parting to allow his tongue entrance into her mouth. Smoothly one of his hands slid down and grasped her thigh, giving it a light squeeze. Zelda gasped before reluctantly pulling away. His mouth followed her until they had fully parted.

"Now if I asked you to fight me seriously, would you do it?" she said, panting and trying not to think of how much she'd like to just resume their kissing.

His nose wrinkled in consternation. "So that kiss was just a ploy to get me to agree to that."

She shrugged and batted her eyelashes. "Did it work?"

"Zelda," he said lowly, looking deep into her eyes, "You just fell off a cliff. You were weakened to begin with. Of course I'm going to go easy on you."

"I have healed myself, and only a day later I killed a wolfos," she countered easily.

Link smiled and picked up the cup to take a sip. "And what a fight that was."

It took a moment for her mind to form the correct assumption – if he had truly been worried about her battling the wolfos he would have expressed it loud and clear - and when she did she frowned. "So you just like watching me fight?"

"Can't blame me," he said, shrugging while licking a few droplets of water from his lips. Zelda inhaled sharply, watching his tongue dart out in that sensual motion "But I much prefer when I'm the opponent. That way I get more close-up views. Watching you all rosy and flushed, the way you twist and turn while evading my sword, really get's my blood going."

She flushed red at the insinuation. She might never duel against him publicly again. "Your mind is all one-track these days," she iterated blandly. "One would think that you'd only just entered puberty."

"I am but a man with healthy desires," replied Link suavely. Goddesses, his voice alone, a deep sort of tenor, sent shivers down her spine.

"I see that some incentive is in order," she decided.

"Not all fights have to be serious, you know," he said, tightening his grip around her, hands beginning to wander to inappropriate areas. "It can also be play."

"But I need the practice, Link," she said, trying hard to control her breathing. "We both do. We can't – can't grow lax…" she gasped and let her eyes close as he kneaded her side with one hand, the other busy with slithering along her thigh to clasp behind her knee and lift her leg slightly, "just because these are times of peace…"

She was shuddering now. If she didn't stop this soon he'd seduce her straight to his bed and they wouldn't get anything done. … Anything productive that is.

An idea suddenly came to her and she valiantly cleared her mind of the effect that Link had on her for a brief five seconds. "How – how about if – whoever wins gets top."

Link suddenly paused. Silently mourning the loss of the stimulation, she blinked her eyes open to see him staring at her in shock.

"You would make a wager," he said with a slight falter in his voice, "on something as sacred as that!"

She sniffed. It wasn't that important, but then again he was of the male variety. Who knew what they placed their values on.

Without his hands distracting her, she was able to give him a confident smile. "Is something wrong? Afraid you would lose?"

He motioned for her to get up and she did so, stepping back as he retrieved his sword off the table and held it up, blade point aimed at her breast.

"Very well," he said, smiling with that glimmer of excitement in his eyes. "We'll see how this goes."

His attack was sudden, but Zelda was ready for it. Eager for the challenge he presented she swerved away then struck at his arm, sword jarring as he blocked and redirected it. She smiled, already noticing a vast change in the difficulty he set for her. He really was fighting with earnest now.

They battled across the terrace before they stepped onto the lawn and waged their fight in the gardens. Zelda smiled as she ducked and swerved, eliciting a parry before diving in as she thrust at him. Link twirled out of the way, dodging behind a hedge. She could hear his footsteps as he moved farther away. Laughing, she ran the length of it, keeping in stride with him on the other side. They met at the end, blades clashing before Link pushed her back.

The duel wore on, their movements graceful and poised, an elegant dance with flashing steel. She was sure that the smile on his face matched the one on her own. Who says that serious and play had to be separate? In this case, both were fun.

Soon he had her backed against a moss-covered fountain, and Zelda grew instantly worried.

Smirking, Link held out his sword and came closer. She dashed to the other side, placing the fountain between them, but to her dismay she was met with the stone wall that surrounded the perimeter of the gardens. Anxiously she looked around. With the wall at her back and the pond right next to her, he had managed to trap her. Had this been his strategy all along? To back her into a corner?

Oh Goddesses! He was closing in!

Climbing up onto the rim of the fountain, Link glided slowly over towards her. Zelda assessed her situation, mind rapidly whirring to form a good counter strategy. She was stuck with very little maneuverability, with such little space it would be harder to evade and strike.

She'd have to use her quick speed to catch him by surprise and somehow switch their positions. She'd have to-

In a flash he was upon her. She gave a small squeak, no more time for thinking. Swiftly, as he jumped down from the rim, she jabbed her sword forward. She was startled when instead of him swatting it away with his sword he reached out and grabbed her wrist, averting her rapier by pushing her arm aside.

He then dropped his sword on the ground and swooped down on her, shoving her against the wall and descending upon her lips with vigor.

This was not how it was supposed to go! Zelda struggled for a bit before inevitably giving in as the kiss became more ardent. As was prone to happening, her mind became blank of all coherent thoughts as she succumbed, becoming receptive to him.

"I forfeit," he breathed as he began planting small kisses on her cheeks and neck, eliciting tiny whimpers from her. "I like the idea of you being on top."

Great Din! Had she deprived him lately?

She sighed and pushed on his shoulders, moving him away. "This doesn't count, Link. We didn't end the duel properly. One of us has to be disarmed or in no position to continue on."

"But I am disarmed," he pointed out slyly, "See. No weapon, and you still have yours."

"But I wasn't the one to do it," she said agitated. "You dropped your sword voluntarily."

"Your beauty disarms me."

She giggled at that, but inside she was quite flustered. "Stop that, Link. How am I to stay in top form if you do not act like a real enemy."

"Because this enemy has already won," Link said, smirking. "I have you in my captivity and there's no one around to save you."

Really, his persistence was becoming quite tiresome. "Again, Link!" she said exasperatedly. "We both know that you're not a true villain, why do you keep insisting that you are?"

"Oh?" spoke Link, his face suddenly losing all signs of playfulness. He pulled back and looked down at her with intense eyes, his demeanor abruptly becoming darker and more formidable.

In bewilderment, Zelda shrank under his gaze before she realized it and straightened, determined to hold her ground against him. What was she doing? Playing the frightful damsel would only satisfy his sudden dark compulsions.

"I'm just going to have to remind you then," he said lowly and oh so suavely, "that you are my prisoner. I have been lenient with you, but not anymore!"

All at once he had grabbed her and scooped her up in his arms. Startled, Zelda dropped her rapier to hold onto his shoulders as he proceeded to jog through the gardens, hastening back to the manor. Upon reaching the doors he used his shoulder to shove them open, taking long strides as he entered the halls.

"Link!" she cried out when she finally found her voice, digging her fingers into the fabric of his tunic. "Link what are you doing!?"

His reply caused her heart to flutter, her breathing to stop, and her toes to curl. "Going to have my wicked way with you."

Oh dear.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear. She was in for it now. The only question was, would she or would she not regret pushing him too far? Given a few more hours she might have the answer to that, although it wasn't that hard to predict.

The halls were blessedly empty as he traversed them.

Earlier that day Link had yelled at all the servants for continuously pestering them every other minute in their efforts to gather material for gossip. He had then banned them from stepping one foot into the gardens – where he and Zelda were supposed to enjoy their morning - and forbade them from even thinking about going near them for the rest of the day, determined that their last day together would be one he could enjoy without disturbance. At the time she had felt bad for his harshness, even though the servants took it grudgingly. Now though, she couldn't help but feel grateful for it as long as it meant being spared from having witnesses to this spectacle.

Upon reaching his destination, he barged into their room and practically threw her on the bed.

Zelda squeaked as she landed on her front. She felt the mattress dip and twisted her head around to see that Link had climbed onto the bed and was slowly crawling over her. Dear Goddesses, she'd created a monster out of him!

"There's no escape for you, my delectable little queen!" His tone hadn't gotten rid of its dark timbre and Zelda found it incredibly alluring. If she didn't know him so well she'd be absolutely terrified right now.

"Link," she laughed, trying to flip herself around but his weight against her back had her pinned.

He buried his face in her hair and breathed down her neck. "All alone here with me, and no one to save you…" he whispered against her skin. "Where's your hero now, Zelda?"

"Dear Nayru! If you're trying to impersonate Ganondorf that's a great turn off," she exclaimed, finally managing to roll onto her back, placing her hands on his biceps.

"What sacrilege. Let's remedy that, shall we," he said and then dipped down and kissed her.

Zelda wrapped her hands around his neck. Today had been full of kisses and still she could not get enough of them.

He was so warm above her, a pure specimen of hot and muscly maleness. And he was all hers. Hers to enjoy and hers to love and cherish.

Her heart by now was beating so loudly she could hear it practically reverberate through the room. No…wait… that sound was a knock. Someone was at the door.

Regretably, she turned her head to the side, breaking off the kiss. If Link minded he didn't show it. Rather he continued layering kisses down the hollow of her throat and along her clavicle.

"Link," she said and he hummed in question. "You need to get the door."

He ignored her as he continued on with his lips, adding his hands into the mix as well. Zelda soon found that she had quite forgotten about the knocking as his hands reached in the slits of her dress and ran up her legs, quickly unfastening her knife holster and tossing it across the room. He then explored her more fully in order to further disarm her. She was crudely reminded, however, as the knock became more persistent.

She moaned, "Link! What if it's important?" After all, he had forbade the servants from bothering them, they'd only do so if something serious were to happen, right? She didn't know his servants as well as he did so she couldn't tell if they were the sort to obey an order without question or to go against it for amusement or whatnot.

When another knock sounded she shoved Link off her. "Now, Link."

* * *

Link groaned as he got up, running terse hands through his hair. Zelda fixed her clothes and pulled herself up against the headboard, offering him a stern look while waiting for him to do as told. Sending her a qwelling glare – to which she just smiled at - he quickly forced himself to stem all signs of his arousal as he trudged across the room and flung the door open. He glare lethally at whoever was on the other side.

He had been expecting Cilla, as she was more inclined to do whatever she wanted and was not afraid of his wrath, but instead he was faced with another young girl named Emma. He sighed and toned down his glare some. He knew her to be skittish and shy. Everyone was considerably softer when engaging with her, him included. When someone was that cute and as easy to upset as she was, it was hard not to be. He didn't need to go scaring her to death.

"Didn't I explicitly instruct that there were to be no disturbances whatsoever," he said and predictably she shrank back, lowering her eyes. Unlike Cilla she didn't have the courage to face him directly - nor did she try to see into the room for that matter, as the other maid would have done.

She stammered as she spoke, "I'm – I'm truly sorry…but I think you might – might want to know…"

Sighing, Link leaned against the doorframe, casting a covert glance back at Zelda as she patiently waited for him. He however had fast lost his patience all of three minutes ago.

"Just tell me what it is," he said, trying to gentle his voice.

She replied meekly, "There are people wanting entrance to the manor…"

His eyebrows rose at that and, making certain not to appear too suspicious, he slipped out of the room, ignoring the curious glance Zelda sent him. He shut the door firmly behind him then turned to Emma. "Who are they?"

"The-the Knights of Hyrule," she responded, turning to totter after him as he started down the hall.

"S-Sir Link, what should we do?" she asked, struggling to keep up with his strides.

"Go take a break or something," he said irately, "I'll handle this. And tell everyone else to stay out of the way. No one is to leave the kitchens until this mess is dealt with."

She made a clumsy curtsy and quickly scurried off.

A storm was brewing in his mind. Of all the inconveniences-! Knights of Hyrule! If it was that Sir Ryan he'd be really put out. Couldn't they clue in that he and Zelda didn't want to be found? He had taken her away from the castle for a reason, to give her a break from everyone else in her life. Well, everyone, that is, except for him. He was the one vital aspect in her life that she could not go without, just as she was his. These damned knights weren't wanted.

He didn't go straight to the foyer, but to the floor two stories directly above where he could observe them through his study window. He was mildly surprised to find not only Sir Ryan waiting for him, but Ashei, Sir Hadrian and two other knights as well.

They were all standing just outside the gates, looking up at the manor and arguing loudly. Link smirked. The gates were made of firm iron, if they wanted to just barge in they'd find they'd have trouble doing so. They wisely did not even touch the bars, they tended to be spelled shut at most estates and would zap whoever came too close. It would take a darn good sorcerer to bring that barrier down.

Groaning, he rubbed his brow, sweeping his hand through his hair. He would have preferred Ivy Manor not been discovered, but he had anticipated the possibility of it. It was a good thing that he had a nice few contingency plans for such a crisis.

Briefly he looked down at himself and righted his attire. He tightened his vambraces and swept back his hair. It would have been more dramatic if he had been wearing the dark leathers he had donned when he had kidnapped Zelda, but he supposed his red and white tunic and dark breeches would have to do.

Silently he unlatched and opened the door leading onto the balcony above the entrance way, and slipped through. The knights hadn't noticed him, too busy being occupied with their petty arguing. He frowned at that. If this were a serious situation then they'd have already given themselves away, not to mention that they'd be wasting valuable time.

Link leaned on the railing, wrists crossed as he watched them with droll amusement. Eventually Ashei chanced to look up and spotted him then quickly directed everyone's attention to him.

Finally!

He smiled as he looked down at them, each of their faces depicting their own emotion ranging from surprise to outright enraged – the latter of which belonged to Sir Ryan.

He chuckled lowly. It slightly amazed him how very little effort it took to keep in character. He was taking whatever scatterings of darkness that was in his heart and letting it all out. "About time you arrived," he said, grinning broadly. He spread his arms. "Welcome to Ivy Manor."

He was going to revel in whatever happened next for this was the part where it got dangerously fun.

* * *

**A/N: Oh my! I can't believe I wrote this. *Hides face***

**Twokeyz: Now that you mention it, it does sound that way (Clandestine, that is). I'll tell you this, Link won't act at all in 'Clandestine' like he does in 'Villainous', and there's definitely not going to be any adultery in it, nor any intended seduction (I agree with you that marriage is sacred). ****Actually, it's more of a feud between Link and Zelda. It's going to be very complicated with lots of drama. I can't make any promises as to how it's going to turn out, so yeah, it's fine if you don't read it.**

**Contrary to lots of people, I actually do like Ilia (even though she did steal my horse and lose her memories and cause a lot of problems that I had to fix). I'd like for her to have a happy ending too, and if not with Link then someone else had to step in. Even though I had not intended at first that she would get together with Hadrian I like that it turned out that way ^^. So glad you're pleased with it too.**

**You write? You must let me read your work! Okay, so if I ever met my characters... I would kind of expect them to worship me because I created them and all, lol (the oc characters, that is). I'd be like their little goddess. I'd also make sure to glomp them. Especially Zellandus from 'Dead Inside'. And Dasril too. He really needs a hug.**

**Reader314: For me, I just love the hiding and the chase! I find it thrilling.**

**Thanks for reading everyone! And sorry for the long wait!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Should I be flattered or irritated that 'Villainous' is becoming more popular than 'Dead Inside'? I literally put my heart and soul into 'Dead Inside', spending hours forming the plot, coming up with the characters and writing it all out. And then there's 'Villainous', which I started on a whim as a fun little novella. I don't even bother sending it through my beta to proofread and it takes all of a couple hours to type up… Meh, whatever ^.^ Now I know that writing impulsively is superior to careful planning, lol.**

**Thanks for reviewing: Death Waltz, SwaggyStiles, ultimateCCC, A True NaZaMi Fan, yiggdrasill, Rolfman01, RageMuffinz, Bloodspire, Guest (Jan 22), Nintendoes Gamer, Generala, Lisa Violet, Lady . Zayriah, Ancient . tree, 11lol11, Astercia, Fairy Proxi, SoftCadence, bellfire, Light Nova Girl, tetraforce theory, Schniedragon88, Bob, Prometheus17, Waddlebuff, Winter's White Moon, LeighEm, Twokeyz, Doodle Ladle, Finvarra Faerie, and DarknessFathom!**

* * *

**Chapter 9:**

In all his years of knowing him, Link had always struck Hadrian as a decent sort, noble and brave to a fault, but most of all loyal, especially to Hyrule's reigning monarch. He had his own code of honor filled with a set of morals that he would never fathom to stray from. It would kill him inside were he to go against anything he believed to be right. It would rip him apart, slander his being, shatter his manhood and make him into something less than Hylian.

Therefore, Link could not truly have become a real villain because then it wouldn't be him staring gleefully down at them as if they were his own personal source of amusement, it would be a monster. And so the only way Hadrian could justify this act of moral ambiguity, was by role-play. As serious as this endeavor to rescue the queen was to the knights, it was all a game to Link. And he played his part well. So well in fact that Hadrian found himself seriously considering that Link had somehow managed to conceal his true personality from them for all these years, only now letting it out to reign supreme, as Sir Ryan had accused.

Damn it, he wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

"Link, you cad!" shouted Ryan with a voice full of fury. He stepped forward, sword drawn and ready, but hesitated wisely half a foot away from the gates as they began to spark. Clenching his fist in frustration, the knight glared broadswords at Link – knives just couldn't measure up. "Release the queen this instant!"

From high above on the balcony, Link considered them and hummed, making a show of thinking before grinning widely at them. "I think not. If you want Zelda so badly you should have been able to protect her better, thereby preventing this from happening. Not that you would have been able to anyways. We didn't even cross swords before I had her out of the castle. What does that tell you about your skill?"

"Ooooh," said Ashei, sending Sir Ryan a sly grin. "Got you there. Link didn't even have to lift a finger against you? For shame. Your training has become slipshod, I see, yeah."

Sir Walter and Sir Leonard both shook their heads chidingly. Ryan's face flushed bright red as he rounded on Link.  
"How dare you insinuate-! You were the one who fled like a bomskit."

"Well maybe if you upped your fighting skills I'd have stayed for the challenge," Link countered tauntingly. "Be a man, fight like a cucco."

Inwardly, Hadrian winced. That was quite the low blow. Cuccos could become vicious when riled. Implying that Sir Ryan was anything but was saying that he was tame, inept, maladroit when it came to swordplay.

He decided to intercede and play peacekeeper before Ryan could blow his top. If the man were a volcano he'd be on the verge of erupting, the way his face fumed red and his nostrils flared. He called up to Link imploringly, "I'm afraid you don't understand the severity of the situation, Link. The queen must return to the castle at once."

The queen's champion frowned, eyes darkening in malcontent as he crossed his arms, staring down his nose at them. "No, she doesn't. Frankly, everyone and everything there wears her out. My poor queen was exhausted by the time we arrived at the manor."

"Think on it, Link," inserted Sir Walter, "Is this really what's best? The kingdom needs its queen back."

Link merely shrugged and grinned broadly at them, eyes glowing with amusement. "You think that the kingdom has needs? _Her_ _majesty_ has needs." His lips curled upward in a dark manner. "And as her champion it is my duty to see that they are _very_ well met."

Silence ensued all around. Ryan's face was fast growing purple, Leonard looked pale as a poe on the brink of teetering over, Walter simply shifted uncomfortably, looking away while tugging at his collar, and Ashei blinked as if stunned. All the while Link wore that damnable wolfish grin on his face. Hadrian rubbed his brows in exasperation. To have said that in front of them… He could only be grateful that Lord Raleigh was not here to listen to this.

"Well, as much as I encourage a good libido," began Ashei, having recovered from her momentary lapse in thinking and placed hands on hips, her expression stern, "It's vital that you return her. Look, if you just let her go and allow us to arrest you, you'll get off easier, yeah. The council will be all too appreciative to care that you receive two or three life sentences instead of sixteen, yeah."

Sirs Ryan and Leonard were too occupied with spluttering to be of any assistance, so it was Hadrian who spoke next, "Link, just hear us out."

Link, however, looked not to be listening anymore. His brows were knit as he seemed to ponder something. "How…did you guys find this place anyways?" he asked, brimming with curiosity.

Thinking that if they acted more amiable they'd have an easier time convincing Link to return to normal, Hadrian replied succinctly, "Shad supplied us with the location."

All at once Link cursed foully, a vicious scowl consuming his face. "That no good, sniveling, book debased, four-eyed-!" As if realizing that he was running too much out of character, Link gripped the rail, fingers digging into the polished beams and, regaining his composure, smiled darkly at them. "No matter. I'm just going to have to beat him for his damned interference."

Sir Ryan growled, having finally gotten ahold of himself. "Enough of this! Let us in so that I can beat you for treason!"

Shaking his head, Link chuckled and waved his arm. "By all means, enter at your own peril." A shimmer flashed over the gates at the motion. The air wavered before the bolt darted out of its latch and the gates swung creakily open.

Tentatively, Hadrian stepped inside, anticipating some sort of trap or a change of mind to come about Link. Following his lead, the others slowly crept past the gates, scanning the grounds as if fearing something would jump at them.

"This is my dungeon," said Link with great enjoyment. "If you get past all the obstacles and defeat the final boss, then you win and Zelda shall be returned to the castle. However if you lose…" he smirked and left that to their imaginations. Hadrian didn't even want to contemplate what Link had in mind for them. In this state, Link was totally volatile. Any unpleasantness was possible.

"Pff, get through a mansion, how hard can it be?" said Sir Leonard, pulling out his sword and raising his shield despite his bold words.

"Why should we have to humor him!" shot Ryan, slashing his blade at a patch of brambles. "He should be begging for our mercy. He'll have no other protection once brought before the council!"

"I wouldn't underestimate me, Sir Ryan," Link chuckled full of amusement. "At this moment I have you at my mercy."

There was the creaking of heavy metal. In shock, the knights swung around just in time to witness the large iron wrought gates slam close, magic settling over them once more, barring them inside, to their misfortune.

Sir Leonard suddenly yelped in alarm as the brambles Ryan had attacked clicked and a large blue head burst from the ground and shot forth, snapping massive jaws at them. Ryan bounded away, cursing, as the head just missed clamping over his arm. Instead it extended itself as far as it could go, its slimy tongue sweeping out as if scenting them.

There was another curse, this time from Ashei, as she nearly backed into another of the plantae beasts as it erupted from a pile of leafy fronds, almost barreling into her shoulder. Around them more of the beast began rising from the soil.

Hadrian and the others brought their shields up and formed a defensive circle, backs facing each other.

"Deku babas?!" exclaimed Ashei, partly revolted and partly amused. "Of all things to have in one's gardens."

"What absurdity!" shouted Sir Ryan, angling his glaring eyes up at Link. "You dare bring her majesty in a place infected with monsters!"

Link clicked his tongue and tutted. "If you seriously believe that they pose any danger to her majesty then you give our queen very little credit. It's practically insulting."

Indeed, thought Hadrian. Deku babas had limited range and were easy to fell, but he still would not want to get caught in their giant maws. As if proving this, Leonard lost patience and quickly dove in, swooping low as one of the plantlike beasts made a go for his head, before chopping the stem, severing the deku baba from its roots. The deku baba flailed around before Leonard plunged his sword into its head, causing it to burst into smoke.

Ashei burst into action at that moment, followed by Walter and Ryan. Hadrian raised his shield as one of the beasts collided with it, before hacking at its face. In the background he became aware of Link's voice rising over the din.

"Well, you lot have fun conquering this dungeon," said Link fleetingly, pivoting on one foot before striding back through the balcony doors into the manor. "I'm off to conquer her majesty's." Loud laughter rang after him as he slammed the doors shut and Hadrian couldn't help the cold shiver that ran down his spine. If he hadn't known Link so well…

"The blackguard!" snarled Ryan, face red and fuming as he carved into another deku baba. "How dare he defile our beloved queen! I shall rend him apart for this!"

"Focus on rending these apart first," shot Ashei, lunging in to stab one in the snout. It dissolved in a burst of smoke.

This was not what he had been expecting upon finding Link, far from it rather. He'd never known Link to be capable of doing something like this.

It made Hadrian dread all that Link had in store for them.

* * *

Link was humming as he entered the room and turned the bolt, locking the door to ensure no more interruptions. It surprised Zelda somewhat, having anticipated that he'd return in a foul temper and ready for some physical play. That was why she was in the position she was in, to tease him. To make it seem as if she'd not been secretly waiting for him with building excitement, rather she'd appear as if she'd been unconcerned whether he came back or not.

She rested on the bed where he'd left her, but she had maneuvered herself so that she lay flat on her stomach, feet kicking the air as she read one of her favorite novels, something she'd found in the drawer of the bed stand. Her ears twitched at the sound of Link approaching, but she did no more than that. She didn't want to give away any indication that she was using all her inner strength not to lunge at him and kiss him senseless.

She felt the mattress sink down as he planted himself beside her, and diligently ignored him as he leaned over and began caressing her sides, placing kisses all over her shoulder.

She flipped a page then asked idly, "So, who was it?"

"Just some door-to-door business shrub," replied Link, moving her hair out of the way to give him better access to her neck, which he then proceeded to lather with his tongue. It took a lot of willpower not to squirm at the sensation. "Wanted to sell me some weed toxicant, but I've already got a group taking care of the deku baba infestation in the front yard, so I sent him away."

"Hmm," she murmured, sweeping her gaze over the page and trying her best to ignore the soft fluttery feel of his moist mouth against her skin.

Grasping her by the hips, he suddenly pulled her to the center of the bed and rolled her over. Zelda facilitated the movement, lifting her arms so as not to crumple her book, before she held it once more in front of her and continued to read. She nearly grinned at Link's rough grumble of irritation.

He hovered above her, doing his utmost to distract her by caressing her all over, fingers gliding in seductive motions across her skin and trailing teasingly over fabric. Discreetly, she bit the inside of her cheek, struggling to ignore his delicious probing. Damn it, she was faltering. Sweat beaded on her brow as Zelda attempted to remain fixated on her book. It didn't escape her how she was reading the same sentence over and over again.

Yielding to his frustration, Link groaned and smashed his hands into the mattress on either side of her head. It almost made her flinch. "Zelda!" he intoned darkly, with a dangerous air about him.

She concealed her smile behind her novel and hummed in question. The book was abruptly snatched out of her hands and flung across the room in a manner that would have any decent scholar on the brink of a heart attack.

She glared crossly at him. "Link!"

"Finally some proper acknowledgement!" he exclaimed before descending on her.

Zelda soon found her mouth thoroughly occupied as Link mashed their lips together fueling all his passion into this act of intimacy. Zelda could no longer contain herself and moaned, all her proud willpower daintily scampering out the door, leaving her completely abandoned.

Fisting her hands in his tunic, she slid her right knee up, delicately brushing against his inner thigh centimeters away from the notably growing bulge in his breeches and eliciting a hungry groan from him.

She smiled and gave a soft laugh when they were forced to come up for air, petting his head as he nuzzled into her chest. "My poor Link wants some attention, does he?" And because she felt like it, she started flicking the tip of his elegant pointed ear.

She felt him rumble against her, his strong arms slipping between her back and the covers to slide up her shoulders. "Zelda, I thought you said you wouldn't do that anymore."

"Anymore was half a year ago," she replied.

He shifted his head to gaze at her, his eyebrows raised, a salacious grin spanning his face. "Oh? Well if that's the case, I can do this!"

Zelda's eyes grew wide and she shrieked when Link suddenly scooted up on his arms and trailed a long wet lick along her cheek all the way to the corner of her eye. He made to lick her again but she quickly interceded by placing her hands between them and pushing his face away.

"Ew, Link! That's disgusting!"

He chuckled as he peeked through her fingers. "You've never had a problem with me licking you _everywhere_ else." There was something in the way that he said 'everywhere' that made it sound so hot and suggestive and utterly desirable...

She twisted her head away, shoving at him to avoid his wet tongue. "Not my face! You're not a wolf anymore!"

He grinned with lethal cunning. "Not physically."

And wasn't that the truth of all men, really. In most cases it was an undesirable trait, as wolves they preyed and prowled with uninhibited desire, however in other instances, in _this_ instance and for this certain man, although he preyed and prowled it was less a desire and more of a need. Desires were entirely selfish while a need was invoked by the longing of the heart.

He needed her. Her love, her body, her pleasure, just as she needed him in exactly the same way.

Her hands fell hesitantly away as he pulled back and sidled down her body and planted himself in between her legs. She watched riveted as he flung his tunic and undershirt off, revealing a firm torso and taut abdomen rippled with corded muscle and lithe sinew.

Leisurely and with languid motions he untied the laces of her boots and slipped them off, followed at once by her matching pair of white lacy socks. Deftly those rough calloused hands slid up her legs to massage her calves in slow soothing circles.

Zelda sighed, head leaning back, she closed her eyes as she revelled in his touch. If this was what he meant by 'wicked way' then she never wanted it to end.

His voice was breathy as he whispered, "Shall I worship you, my queen."

She hummed, smiling and stretched her arms above her head on the comforter. "More. Don't stop."

"My queen is so very demanding."

He rubbed her so slowly. Moving from her calves, he inched his way higher. It seemed as if he spent forever caressing and fondling her thighs, fingers slipping in and out of the firm material of her shorts, before spending an eternity at her waist. He rubbed over her belly then pillowed his face on it and nuzzled her. She involuntarily clenched her legs against his torso as he reached around and palmed her rear through the fabric of her dress.

She groaned as a warm tingling feeling stirred within her, threatening to abate if he did not touch her properly, skin on skin, and grasped his hair with tense slender fingers. "Link! Stop teasing!"

He sighed, a drawn out and resigned exhale. Lifting off of her, he sat back on his haunches as she scooted to sit up in front of him, arms extended behind her to brace herself.

He sighed again as if lamenting. "There really is no rest for the wicked."

She yanked him closer, lips turned in a sultry smile, "Shut up and get to work."

His eyes flashed as she grabbed his hands and led them to the ties of her dress and he immediately set to work divesting her of the material. "My lady is such a tyrant."

"Silence, you!" she ordered, smiling.

Once he was finished with her fastenings Zelda grabbed ahold of his shoulders so she could lift her hips off the bed, allowing Link to pull her dress up and off, throwing it overhead to the far reaches of the room. She lay back down anticipating he'd next move on to her shorts only to find him frozen, staring at her, mouth agape.

Slightly unnerved, she shifted beneath him, going stiff as his gaze only intensified. Roughly, he grabbed the edges of her shorts and yanked them down, slipping them off to join her other discarded garments as decorative implements in some far corner of the room.

Zelda bit her lip and looked at him with concern. "Link, is something wrong?" Was he disappointed?

Link looked to be fighting to find the words. "This. You've been wearing this beneath your clothes all day! This whole time I've been fantasizing about you in your chest bindings, when I could have been imagining _this_!" He cupped her breast in his large hand, feeling along the brassiere she was wearing.

Zelda relaxed in relief. For a moment she thought that the color was off-putting, or something equally as ridiculous. She'd found the matching set of risqué undergarments stored deep in one of the drawers of her dresser and had been eager for a chance to try them on. She'd learned that Cilla had selected her entire wardrobe, sparing no expense – given that Link was the one who was paying – on every single item. The set Zelda donned was black with a golden cream-colored lacy design along the bottom curve of the cups and the part of her underwear right above the thighs. Given that Link was more accustomed to seeing her in softs pinks and blues, his reaction was merited.

Playfully she lowered her lashes and said in an enticing voice, "If you don't like it I can always take them off."

Link stared at her longingly, eyes raking up and down her figure. He looked to be seriously debating with himself. He loved the way she looked in lingerie, but he also loved how she looked while wearing absolutely nothing.

_That's right_, Zelda thought gleefully, _O_ _the hardships of possessing a male mind._ Dilemmas like this could rankle a man for hours.

Zelda moaned and threw back her head as he, without warning, squeezed her breast.

"Leave them on…for now," he said lowly, gliding his free hand down the soft skin of her stomach to play with her panties, fingers teasing along the lacy rim, "I like it _very_ much."

His touch sent fire through her veins, a pulsating heat burned within her, persistent and demanding for more. They had the day to themselves and she looked forward to hours of enjoyment on this bed, and perhaps later on other surfaces as well, hours that were a rare liberty in their hectic lives.

"Soft and squishy," murmured Link, trailing his lips along her upper arm. "My little queen is so bloody adorable."

She would have scolded him for his language if her mind were not currently preoccupied with muddled thoughts driven by his maddening fondling. Her heart sped as she was suddenly flipped over so that Link was on his back on the covers while she lay flush atop of him, legs bent on either side of his hips.

"I believe we said something about the winner getting top," he said suavely, eyelids lowering as he admired her from this new position.

Zelda used his chest to push up in a sitting position and smiled seductively down at him. For most of this vacation he had been the one giving pleasure while she had been on the receiving end. It was only appropriate that she reciprocate.

She jerked her hips, rubbing against him, and revelled in the deep groan that followed. She leaned down and whispered lustily against his neck, "Yes, I believe we did."

* * *

The deku babas, Sir Hadrian found, were the least of their troubles. Relatively easy to slay in the first place, they had been swiftly dealt with and the group of knights had at last entered the manor with wary apprehension. From there it had only gotten worse. Although there were no more monsters, other than a few beamos that sent jarring bolts of electricity through their systems – Hadrian was only glad that the hot weather had compelled them to wear their leather guards instead of being decked out in full armor - they had encountered enough trap doors, puzzles, dead ends, and pitfalls to drive a man mad.

If this was what Link had gone through while conquering the dungeons throughout Hyrule then he did not envy him. And he'd only been a boy of seventeen at the time! It was easy for Hadrian to gain a new respect for the champion.

Here they were, four full-grown men and a woman, having difficulties even without monsters lurking around every corridor.

Ashei sighed loudly as she twirled a key on her finger. Leaning against the wall, she watched as Leonard and Walter studied a map they'd found in one of the chests, trying to determine their location. Really, they had no sense of direction. Sir Ryan was anxiously pacing about, muttering to himself of all the ways he could kill, maim, and torture Link – all at the same time.

While he waited, Hadrian stared out one of the windows, his musings turning to more pleasant things than the consequences of failing to deliver the queen by the deadline.

Inadvertently, he thought about Ilia. He had come to know her character better during the course of that single evening while having dinner with her and her father – a pleasant, but intimidating man to be sure. With her non-stop chatter and constant flow of opinions it was hard not to. For someone her age, she was very wise. She had a multitude of opinions but those opinions were well thought out and supported by strong arguments, she worked more along the lines of using common sense and reasoning. But as much as she was down to Hyrule, she was also very imaginative, the conversations often transitioning to his life in Castle Town and the wars he must have fought, she tended to romanticize about that. He'd been bombarded with many questions that evening, and he could not say that he did not enjoy every bit of it.

He imagined her viridian green eyes blazing with intensity as she spoke of topics she was passionate about. The way her mouth curled into a smile whenever she listened to his response, her elbow leaning on the table, hand supporting her chin as she gazed at him with soft attentiveness.

He was nudged ungracefully in the ribs as Ashei sidled up to him. "What's got you so smiley-faced, yeah?" She leered at him sidelong. "You're not thinking about a certain darling from Ordon, are you?"

Hadrian rubbed the fast bruising area and turned away, clearing his throat. "Sir Walter, have you made any progress?"

From across the room Leonard grumbled in frustration, while said knight only stroked his chin studying the paper carefully. "We might have an idea. Whoever drew this map – Link perhaps - was clearly no expert."

Hadrian released a pressured sigh as the men went back to their scrutinizing. They'd been to every room they had access to, with no sign of a door that required a key, and were now at a standstill. They did not know where to go next; they must have somehow missed something.

"Avoidance, eh?" said Ashei blithely, causing Hadrian to tense his shoulders. "I don't see why it's so hard to admit it, yeah. There's nothing embarrassing about liking a girl. That you think of her so often is just damn cute, yeah. Denial is an unmanly trait, you know."

"Very well," said Hadrian tersely, and with more than a bit of shy nervousness, he had to admit. "To preserve my manhood. I was…thinking of Ilia."

Ashei pat his shoulder. "Manning up to your true feelings. It makes you more of a quality person than most, yeah." She grinned widely. "Now, what about her?"

"I promised to visit after this fiasco with the queen and the meeting with the Terminians, if all goes well," he went on, absently wondering how he could have let himself be pressured into talking feelings with her. Sir Link had said only the weakest fall for peer pressure when it entailed something not to one's liking. "I also might have suggested we do something together next time she was in Castle Town… I may actually take her there myself for the summer festival."

"Still a few weeks away," said Ashei brightly, slapping his shoulder and causing him to wince. "That's thinking ahead, yeah. You'll be well into the whole courting process by then."

Hadrian's heart gave a giant leap in his chest. "I don't think-"

"Come visit Telma's once in a while," continued Ashei. "I'm probably not the one to go to for flowery love tips, but Telma knows her way around romance and relationships, yeah."

Thankfully their debilitating conversation was cut short as Sir Ryan suddenly released a growl of frustration.

"Damn this waiting! We're getting nothing done by staying here. I say to hell with this so-called dungeon and that bloody knave's rules. We are the Knights of Hyrule, we shouldn't have to obey that traitorous scum!"

With that he flew out the door and down the hall. With growing trepidation, the others followed hot on his heels.

"Sir Ryan!" called Walter, map fluttering in his grasp as he ran. "What about the traps?"

"Hah! Petty illusions," said Ryan over his shoulder. "Can you not tell? There's a layer of magic over this entire floor. It is meant to fool us, undoubtedly the dastard has utilized the magical services of a mage to conjure this spell."

Hadrian hated to admit it, but Sir Ryan might have hit the mark on that one.

Turning another corner, Hadrian was forced to come to an abrupt halt to prevent from colliding into Leonard's back. He looked over the man's shoulder to see why they had stopped and saw a maid at the end of the hall gazing with wide eyes back at them.

* * *

***squeals* I can't believe I – oh forget it! I _can_ believe I wrote this. I surprise myself ^.^**

**A/N: I imagine that saying something like "He fights like a cucco!", or "Watch out, he's deadly as a cucco, that one," would be forms of compliments in the Legend of Zelda. Because cuccos are dangerous and if someone is compared to one, well then you'd better start running!**

**Also, I know that in a medievalish world they don't have this type of lingerie, but if you haven't noticed, the Legend of Zelda is actually very modernized in a way. They have flushing toilets for heaven's sakes (dating all the way back to Skyward Sword)! And their clothing style is far less conservative than real life medieval times. **

**Alright, so I've created a deviantart account where I'll be posting a lemony version of 'Villainous', for those who are interested. Don't all go rushing over now, lol. I've only got the first chapter posted and the lemony content actually starts in chapter 3. You can find the link on my profile page or follow me on tumblr for updates.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Don't worry guys, I'm not upset or anything ^^ My psychological mind is picking apart your brains and studying your preferences, lol.**

**Thanks everyone for reviewing: OverlordOfGrammaticCorrections, Grassy Nol, Death Waltz, SkyRage, A True NaZaMi Fan, Dark the shark, Csmith89, Ancient . tree, Bloodspire, Lady . Zayriah, LiddyRose, Fairy Proxi, 11lol11, DarknessFathom, Prometheus17, Amidst the shadows, Astercia, rad, Nintendoes Gamer, Snowclip, tetraforce theory, FallenAngel2298, Finvarra Faerie, Schniedragon88, randomish dude, and AwesomeCreepypastaGirl! **

* * *

**Chapter 10:**

The maid, or at least, Hadrian assumed she was a maid and not someone else suffering at Link's hand, let out a startled squeak as Ryan bounded over to her and grabbed her wrist, yanking her forward.

"You! You're one of Link's peons are you! Tell me where he is!" Ryan bellowed, appearing menacing before the cowering girl.

Hadrian rushed over, a furious rage swirling in him. "Sir Ryan where is your honor?!" he shouted, bringing his sword up in a threatening manner. "Unhand that girl! You do not treat a civilian with such disrespect."

Ryan t'ched and released the girl's wrist. The maid scurried back against a wall, massaging the aching bruise that was beginning to form. She observed them all wide-eyed as she took in their apparel and knight's crests.

"What are you doing here?" she said after regaining her composure. "I didn't know Master Link had invited more guests."

Mentally, Hadrian sighed. So she was a maid after all. It was foolish really to have even thought that she might have been another kidnapped victim. Link's devious intentions did not extend beyond the queen. He sobered as he thought about what those intentions were. He'd heard rumors of their intimacy at court, and it wasn't uncommon to catch them nestled in some corner of the castle they thought relatively private in compromising positions. But he'd never thought they'd actually done it. It was tradition for Hylians to wait for marriage, but then again Link usually opposed tradition so who can say for sure about all they'd done together.

The maid narrowed her gaze when he approached and he bent down a little to meet her at eye level.

"What is your name?" he asked, deciding on the tactful approach.

She looked him up and down, expression cynical. "I'm not a child, you know."

From somewhere behind him he could hear the sound of Ashei's muffled sniggers and Ryan as he scoffed.

Clearing his throat, he straightened to full height and regarded her, trying not to show any embarrassment. "I never meant to imply that you were."

"You only meant to treat me as one."

Why did people have to be so difficult? He withheld a groan as now even Leonard was tutting at him.

"I'm Cilla," the maid responded shortly, deigning him a small bit of mercy.

"And you serve Sir Link?"

Cilla rolled her eyes. "I believe that's already established. Now what are you doing here in his household? If you're intruding you're all in some serious trouble, you hear."

Hadrian tensed. They'd given her a pretty bad first impression had they? He'd have to lay down the truth of the matter in full. He detested the idea of tarnishing her image of her master, but their mission necessitated that he do this. She could provide valuable assistance for them.

"I'm afraid Sir Link has gotten himself in trouble with the law," he said it to her as gently as he could, accompanied by a reluctant sigh. "We are here to arrest him and bring him before the Hylian court."

She gasped, taking an involuntary step back as her hands flew to her mouth, looking on in horrified disbelief. "Oh my! What in Hyrule has he done?"

"Something of the most heinous nature!" Sir Ryan interceded before Hadrian had a chance to go on.

He scowled at the other knight and motioned to him subtly to back off, Ryan was far more brutal with revealing facts, however, he was ignored as Ryan continued with his tyrade.

"He has infiltrated Hyrule Castle, vandalizing it in the process, and stolen our esteemed monarch, whom he holds here in this very manor as unwilling captive!"

Ashei snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh please. Unwilling my arse."

Ryan took a fervent step forward. "Who knows what unspeakable things he could be doing to her at this very moment while we're dallying here, trapped in a labyrinth of illusions."

This time Ashei gave an amused hum. "Oh, many unspeakable things, no doubt, yeah."

Cilla looked from one knight to the other, seeing their earnest expressions. "Kidnapped? Why, I had no idea. We were told that she came on vacation."

Sir Ryan folded his arms over his chest, nodding righteously. "Yes well, it appears that your master is full of deceit. The 'hero' is showing colors that we've all missed until now."

Hadrian couldn't help but groan out loud. He wished Ryan wouldn't degrade him further in front of his staff. One of Ryan's most famous shortcomings was that he always let his personal feelings get in the way.

"Oh my goodness!" said the maid. "Come, I'll take you to him right away!"

Finally a fortunate turn of events. This whole mission had been a stressful ordeal of complications. It was good to see that the Goddesses were indeed looking out for them.

Cilla took them down the corridor, with someone knowledgeable of the layout of the manor they encountered no more difficulties. Link must have informed his servants about the illusions so that they wouldn't get caught in them. It was evident that the maid had full confidence in where she was going.

"You do your country a great service," Sir Ryan laughed, following at a quick pace. "At last that knave shall meet his end. Just you wait. His career will be over after this. What a short thing it was."

"Mayhaps that's going a bit too far," input Leonard. "His intentions were well-placed. And I'm sure he never meant any harm to come of this."

"Hah! Good intentions are the excuse men use to carry out despicable acts," countered Ryan. "Trust me, few know the characters of men as well as I. Haven't I said all along that Link's heart was black?"

"Yeah, because he socked you in the face the first time you met and opened your pretentious mouth," added Ashei with delight. "Blackest of hearts, that one, yeah."

"That has nothing to do with it," Ryan growled, turning red at the ears.

Hadrian smiled while Leonard laughed full on. "That really happened?" the younger knight asked.

Sir Walter nodded. "It's true, I was there. Sir Ryan was being boastful as usual, and I suspect Sir Link just wanted a way to shut him up. He seemed rather bored with his jabbering."

As was his habit, Sir Ryan was so enraged that he was at a loss for words.

"That's enough, you three," spoke Hadrian, doing his utmost to conceal the amusement in his voice. "Sir Ryan's pride has taken enough blows for today."

"You'll all want to be quiet if you want to catch Master Link by surprise," said Cilla, indicating with a jerk of her chin. "His room's just up ahead."

Merriment forgotten, the knights slowed down and crept stealthily toward the door Cilla pointed them to, and once again Hadrian found himself thanking the deities that they hadn't worn any clanking metal armor. Now that their objective was almost met none dared to jeopardize it in any way.

The maid kept at the back as Hadrian motioned for Ryan and Walter to move to one side of the door as the rest of them pressed against the other. All was silent, but that was no reason for any of them to lower their guard. Link could have very well placed another trap for them, however the lack of noise was in some way disquieting.

With no indication of anything to go on, Hadrian gestured for them all to move in. At once he grabbed the brass door handle and pulled it open, then dashed through, followed closely by the other knights.

Sir Ryan, the impulsive fool, darted in, brandishing his sword as he cried out triumphantly, "Hah! Link, we have you now!"

But there was no one there. It wasn't even a bedroom that they had entered, rather, it appeared to be a study or a drawing room. Bookshelves lined the walls, there was a sitting area by a cold hearth and a writing area at the opposite wall. Sir Link and the queen were nowhere to be found.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," muttered Ashei, sword extended warily before her.

There was a thud and then a click of tumblers locking in place. They all spun around to find the door sealed tight behind them. Sir Leonard charged at it and grasped the handle, pulling with all his might.

"It won't open! We've been locked inside!"

Girlish laughter sang through the door accompanied by the fall of soft footsteps that grew further and further away. They'd been trapped. She had fooled them! Cilla had tricked them and they'd all idiotically fallen for her acting!

"It appears, Lady and gentlemen, that we've been played for fools," muttered Hadrian, mentally kicking himself.

"That conniving witch!" bellowed Ryan. "I should have known better than to take the word of any advocate of Link's!"

"Goddesses," murmured Sir Leonard, looking to Hadrian with trepidation. "What do we do now?"

"Ashei," said Hadrian, an idea coming to mind. "The key."

She nodded and felt in around in her pocket before her face took on a white pallor. "It's not here. That sneaky chit must have swiped it, yeah."

Well this was a conundrum. He couldn't figure out which predicament was worse, being irrefutably lost or trapped with no way out.

"That's it," called Sir Walter, "we break down the door."

As large and heavy as he was, the door appeared to be thick and sturdy. Even with all his muscle, it probably wouldn't work. Of course, he wouldn't begrudge the men their attempt at trying it.

Ryan and Walter stood a good distance away from the door then charged as one. They grunted as they impacted, but the door held.

Hadrian shook his head and dragged a hand over his face. He had a feeling it was going to be a long time until they saw the outside of this room.

* * *

Spent, Zelda fell on the mattress, pulling Link down to lay beside her, both panting and sweaty and completely contented. Leisurely, Link tugged the covers over them and pressed her body into his, heated flesh touching intimately.

Link sighed and placed a kiss on her damp brow, swiping rogue strands away from her face. Never had she looked more beautiful than after being thoroughly pleasured, his gorgeous queen.

Zelda hummed into his neck. "I don't know why I'm not on top more often," she said in between pants, looking up and grinning at him. "I last far longer than you do."

He chuckled and rubbed his forehead against hers, trailing his fingers down her bare back. "Feeding your ego, I see. I wasn't aware that we were timing it."

"Well... we weren't."

"Then there is no evidence to your claim," replied Link, smiling at her disgruntled look.

"You're just jealous of my superior endurance," she accused.

Her cheek never failed to amuse him. "A boastful tyrant, are you?"

She huffed indignantly, pushing against his chest. "I am no tyrant! You can't tell me that anything we did was against your will."

Grinning, he decided to tease her further. She made it oh so easy for him, he might as well take advantage. "Oh, definitely not. Actually, I say we should give it another whirl. Where'd your panties go? We need them in our reenactment." He sat up and leaned on his elbow, making a show of looking around for them.

"I'm not putting those back on!" she cried, appalled. A lovely blush overcame her cheeks just then, tinting them an alluring rose. "They're all … all … just no!"

Link grinned and hovered over her, hands encasing her on either side of her head. "They're all what?" he whispered, lowering his head to brush his lips against her hair. "Wet? Soaked through?"

"Link!" she squealed, squirming in embarrassment beneath him. "Don't say such things!"

"Drenched in your love juices."

She flung her head to the side, and if he hadn't been in the way she'd probably have buried her face in the pillows. "I'm not listening to this."

He laughed and pulled up, mesmerized by the sight of her flushed beneath him, chestnut hair sprawled out alluringly on the pillows, lips pink and swollen from kisses. "You're adorable when you try to avoid dirty talk."

Zelda sighed and bit her bottom lip. "I just can't do it."

"I know," he responded then added quickly, "and that's fine. I love you just the way you are. My queen doesn't have a filthy mouth like us commoners do." Rather, it was filled with tiny whimpers and seductive moans and lots of mewling and crying out his name. Just thinking about it made him desire to elicit those sexy sounds once more. Only a few more minutes until his refractory period was over and he'd be good to go again.

"You're not a commoner anymore," she said suddenly.

Indeed, his title ensured that he was no longer a commoner, but he didn't feel as if he were quite full nobility either. Not that a title was of any worth to him. It indicated how much land a person owned and that determined where they were placed in court, it did not mean that they were better than anyone else.

"It's how the world see's me," he replied. "A privileged commoner. But only Raleigh really makes an issue about it. I think he's jealous."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm sure. Now let me up. I do believe we missed lunch and I'm famished."

She patted his biceps then frowned and shoved against his chest when he made no indication of moving.

"For the love of Nayru! Must we go through this every time?" she shot, scowling at him.

But it was not for playfulness that he hadn't let her up, nor was it for want of ravishing her again – although that would definitely come later – it was because if she were let loose in the halls there was a chance she'd run into those interfering knights.

Abruptly he pushed her back down and rolled off the bed, grabbing whatever articles of clothing of his he could find before tugging them on. "You stay here. I'll get us something to eat."

His heart hammered as Zelda scooted to the edge of the bed and swung her legs over the side. She stretched, arms entwining above her, back arched and breasts protruding forward. She gave a small sigh before getting to her feet.

Oh Goddesses! Was she doing this on purpose in hopes that he'd pounce on her or was she honestly just stretching?!

"No, that's alright. I could use the walk, my legs are stiff."

Her legs weren't the only things that were stiff. Swiftly, Link sought to divert her. "Aren't you sore? Shouldn't you be resting for at least a few hours?"

She searched around the room, finding her clothes and quickly covering the pair of panties she picked up from the floor. "We've been engaging in this sort of activity for days now. I can assure you, my body has become quite used to it. It doesn't take that long for it to remember."

His eyes were transfixed as he watched her roam around the room, reaching on her tiptoes to gather her dress from atop the wardrobe, plucking a sock from the bookshelf, the other she had to bend down to reach beneath the desk…

He thought of icy cold water and strode hurriedly to the door. "Don't worry about it, Zelda. I'll bring something up for us. It won't take a wink."

She regarded him, perplexed, and maybe catching onto the fact that something was up. She clutched her garments in front of her and Link's lewd side was disappointed that it completely concealed her front. "But-"

"Lunch in bed, Zelda," he inserted quickly. "Doesn't that sound nice?"

She looked like she wanted to say something more but then smiled in relent and sat down on the bed. "Very well. Lunch in bed it is."

He sent her a wink, compelling a small laugh from her, before heading down the hall, fixing his shirt and flattening his tousled hair. He didn't need all the servants paying attention to his obviously rumpled state.

Carefully avoiding the illusioned areas of the estate, it took him less than five minutes to arrive at the kitchens and let himself in.

Before him the household staff were all sitting around chatting amiably with one another, but for one of the cooks, an elderly woman named Brenda, who was busy at work doing dishes for the umpteenth time, unable to handle being idle. All heads shot to him on his arrival, a silence falling about the room.

Link gave them all a wide smile and clasped his hands together. "The lady is in need of some nourishment. Hop to it!"

At once there was a bustling as the servants began pulling out dishes and going through the pantry, ready to prepare the best for their queen.

Link took a seat on a lonesome chair in the corner, out of the way, then proceeded to wait. He crossed his legs and slung on arm over the backrest, watching the servants run about, amazed that all of them went to work for just two meals. It was as if they all wanted to participate in preparing it somehow.

His eyes glossed over each face, a frown appearing on his brow. When one of the maids passed by, he called to her, "Emma?"

Emma hesitated then placed the dish she was holding onto a counter, to be quickly picked up by another servant, before approaching him. "Y-yes, Sir Link?"

He looked around once more to be sure. "Do you know where Cilla is? I don't see her here."

He knew he was going to be seriously irked by the way she shrank back. "She l-left not a quarter hour ago, Sir. Said she had to – to do something. She was going to come back right away."

His teeth grated against each other as he forced himself not to growl in front of the cute little maid. Of all the disrespectful people in the world! "Thank you, Emma." He waved her off and Emma sent him a warm smile before returning to her duties.

She was a nice kid. She didn't deserve to witness his temper at Cilla's disobedience. Hadn't he ordered every servant to stay in the kitchens until this mess was over and dealt with?! Bloody nuisance it was.

He grumbled to himself until the meal was ready and presented to him by the butler. He gripped the tray tightly as he thank them all then marched out of the room, heading back to his chambers, their murmurings following him.

"Angry about Cilla is he?"

"That girl's in for it. I wager he docks her pay for the next three weeks for this."

He frowned. As angry as he was with her, he'd never do something like that. He'd have to give her some demeaning chore to do, maybe he'd make her wash every window in the entire mansion by herself. She'd be too exhausted to come up with any mischief.

He was bombarded with the scent of roses as he entered the room. Zelda sat in front of the vanity as she brushed her hair. A small cloud of steam wafted from the bathroom, giving him a clear idea of what she'd been doing while he was gone.

She spotted him in the mirror and twisted around in her seat to smile at him. "Oh, that smells delicious."

Link set the tray on the desk, staring at her. She had covered herself with a light pink robe, and from the small crease at the bottom, he detected a new set of undergarments beneath it. Pink, to match the robe. How cute.

Her eyes suddenly hardened when she saw the way he was looking at her. "Link?"

"You broke the rules," he murmured quietly as he approached her slowly.

Her eyebrows shot up. "Really? How so?"

So she thought he wasn't being serious about it. Well, he'd show her. He reached her and stooped down to capture her lips with his in a passionate kiss then pulled away, embracing her from his position behind the chair.

"You took a bath? Without me?" he whispered in her ear, causing a shiver to pass through her. "That is not allowed, your majesty."

She tilted her head up at him. "Now _that_ is ridiculous. Besides, you've never mentioned that rule."

"How remiss of me," he intoned heavily, running his hands along her arms. "It doesn't matter, you still broke the rules. I'm afraid you're just going to have to take another."

"I took a bath because I was filthy," she said irately, placing the comb on the vanity. "I'm clean now. I don't need another one."

That's what she thought. "We'll just have to rectify that, won't we?" he said huskily, smiling darkly at her. "Time to get dirty."

He grabbed her by the wrists and pulled her to her feet. She giggled as he led her to the bed with singular intent, their meals completely forgotten. She must have been as eager as him since she wasn't even pretending to object this time. He grinned wolfishly at that.

"You are incorrigible, do you know that?" she said as she flopped onto the mattress, hands smoothing over the fabric of his shirt as she touched his chest then ran them up along his shoulders. "Incorrigible, incontinent, and completely insatiable."

"Among many words to describe me," he said suavely, leaning down for a kiss, fingers already at work tugging her robe apart.

Her legs lifted and wrapped around his waist as she moaned into him. Link smiled against her mouth, anticipating another delightful session of fun.

* * *

As he'd thought, attempting to break down the door wasn't working and only resulted in many bruised shoulders. He and Ashei had scoured the room, finding no other exits. Sir Leonard had even tried shattering the windows and escaping through there, however, they'd soon discovered that they were enchanted against breaking, doubtless for safety reasons, but it was a darn nuisance in this instance.

Currently, Sir Leonard was working a small strip of wire and a knife on the keyhole, trying to pick it open. It was their misfortune that the hinges were on the other side of the door so the option of totally taking it down was ruled out. It was as if the room was made to keep people in.

"Damn it all! This is not working," cried Sir Leonard for the twentieth time, growing frustrated by his futile efforts.

"Obviously there's something you're doing wrong," shot Ryan, overcome by that same frustration. He cursed then set about to pacing across the room. "For the first time in my life I wish there was a thief in our midst. They'd have the job done in the blink of an eye."

"I wish they'd train us in things like these," grumbled Leonard as he tried to maneuver the wire and knife in a certain way. "I've never felt more useless in my entire life! This whole endeavor to save the queen and going against Sir Link is proving to be impossible."

"He's one man! How does he do it?" spat Ryan, throwing his hands up in the air.

Earlier they had liberated him of his sword in order to prevent him from slashing all of Link's belongings to shreds. Ashei had argued that the servants may very well use this room as well, which only served to ignite Ryan's desire to tear apart the room once more, before Hadrian had added that not all the servants could be like Cilla. There were probably others who were kinder; who it would have benefitted them if they'd ran into them instead. And some of them might have children living on the estate as well. Also, vandalism went against the knights Code of Honor, and Ryan would have been a hypocrite to act out such desires. But just for precaution's sake, they kept his sword away anyways.

Sir Walter opted to keep care of it as he reclined at the back against a wall, watching them as he gave his aching shoulders a rest.

Hadrian rubbed his brows. How had they been so deceived? Ilia would be ashamed of him, he just knew it.

"That's it!" shot Ashei, losing patience. "Everyone stand back, yeah. I'm going to kick the handle off."

Hadrian looked up, hope renewed. "That might just work."

Walter's voice piped up from the back, "Um, Dame Ashei-"

"Hey, that's a splendid idea," said Leonard, putting his tools away and moving aside. "Let her have a go, Walter."

"But we don't need-"

"Shut it," said Ashei snappishly. "I've had enough of waiting around now, yeah." She took a stance, fists held up as if ready to do some serious kickboxing. "Here I go, yeah." She spun once and swung her leg around on the second turn, preparing to blast the knob clean off.

"I've discovered another exit!"

Abruptly Ashei swerved her foot above the handle then planted it down and turned to face him. Walter mutely indicated at a dark gap in the wall next to the bookcase he'd been leaning against. He pushed the bookcase further, opening the gap wider and giving way to a secret tunnel.

"I don't suppose this might lead to somewhere?" he said blandly, scratching the scruff of his neck.

Hadrian gaped as they all rushed forward to inspect it.

"Figures Link's house would have such complicated configuration," muttered Ashei, delving into the tunnel, eyes squinting to peer into the darkness. "Right, anyone here that can produce light?"

Ryan at once held up his hand, suddenly encased in a bright glow. He grimaced and fidgeted under their gazes. "Something wrong with me knowing the elementals of magic?"

Hadrian shook his head. "No, just, unexpected…"

"Well we have light," said Ashei. "Now let's see where this baby goes, yeah."

Ashei led the way with Sir Ryan right behind her as they entered single file, the path too narrow for them to walk comfortably side by side. It was straightforward with very few twists and turns for how complex the manor was. At one point they were led up a flight of stairs to another story of the manor. At last they reached the end when Ryan's light extended no further in front of them.

Ashei halted the procession and observed the wall, hand running over the smooth wood.

"Is it just me or does anyone else hear noises?" asked Walter.

They all paused and listened for a moment. Hadrian's ears perked as he detected a subtle hint of something. It was much too quiet for him to be sure, but it almost sounded like voices.

"Aha! A latch," exclaimed Ashei, tugging on a small lever, which induced a click. "I don't care what it is, I'm getting the hell out of here."

She swung the door open.

* * *

**A/N: You guys can be sure that I will be writing the full scenes of the smutty parts in the deviantart version of this. That should be fun ;) ****Speaking of that, I have up to chapter 3 posted on deviantart (contains smut!). I'm still working on the rest.**

**I haven't been keeping up with my replies to reviews, sorry! Midterms and assignments kind of occupy my time (but apparently not my writing time, lol. I write the chapters on paper during class while pretending to take notes).**

**Sorry about the cliffhanger! I hate them and I know most of you probably do too, so I'll try to get the next chapter out as quickly as I can. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: It's official, the final chapter count is 15. Four more to go! This was originally supposed to be a short story but it's heading towards novel length, so yeah, lol. I can't limit my writing it seems. I enjoy it too much. **

**Thank you all my devoted reviewers: Nintendoes Gamer, Finvarra Faerie, Christine, Generala, Lady . Zayriah, Death Waltz, SkyRage, TwilightPrincessZelink4Ever, Bloodspire, InvisableTarget, FallenAngel2298, Ancient . tree, DarkFireWitch, Astercia, Prometheus17, tetraforce theory, 11lol11, Guest (mar 5), DarknessFathom, loli-belle, jwill21, Dark the shark, Fairy Proxi, sincerely lola, WinterWolfie, Schniedragon88, and ATrueNaZaMiFan. I love you lots!**

* * *

**Chapter 11:**

"Should have picked up some whipped cream while in the kitchens," he mumbled, brushing his lips along her shoulder and breathing in her scent of roses. His touches were soft but possessed a hungry ferocity as they roamed all over her in a pursuit to rediscover her for the millionth time.

Zelda had her arms secured around his torso, fingers digging into his back, nails pricking through the cloth.

"I do not think it would go well with our meals," she answered as she latched onto his neck with her mouth when next he was in range and bit down lightly.

Said meals had been left unattended and forgotten on the bureau. The aroma of meat and cooked vegetables filled the room, yet he disregarded it. The only scent he wanted to relish in was the scent of her. At this moment she was the only thing that could get his mouth watering.

How utterly delicious.

"I meant it for you," he responded deviously. "Cream-covered Zelda is a dish I would gladly lick clean."

Her nails poked harder into his back as she released his neck. "I thought that was what you meant," she said disapprovingly. "I'm glad you didn't think to get some. That would leave me unbearably sticky."

He found purchase on his elbows as he lifted off her in order to look at her properly, eyes showcasing his amusement. "That would be the point, my clueless love. That's what getting dirty entails. Rather slow on the uptake, are you – hey!"

He darted back and covered the area on his shoulder that she had just bitten. She smirked as he glared at her then twisted his head at a ridiculous angle trying to get a look at it.

"That smarts. And it's bleeding!" he exclaimed, horrified. "Zelda, you drew my blood!"

She snorted, somehow managing to make it sound more derisive than unseemly. "Stop behaving like an infant. It's not as if you haven't bled before." Her eyes softened and she reached up to him. "Here, let me look at it."

He pushed her back on the bed and sat up. "I don't think so. For all I know you'll take my ear off next."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh come now, Link. You're being absurd."

He gazed hotly at her and smirked. "Am I?" She was beginning to look uneasy and he couldn't help but chuckle at it. "I think I deserve some sort of retribution for that," he said in that husky voice he knew she secretly loved but was in denial about.

She was in denial about many things concerning him actually, the silly queen. She was just too reserved to come out and admit it most of the time. It was obvious to anyone perceptive that she thought him a handsome piece of man, a virtual Goddess send, as evident by the way she could never fully tear her eyes off him when he was in the room, and in how she all but worshipped his body on days that she was particularly frisky. Not to be boastful or anything, just stating the facts.

She pursed her lips, ears flattened, and eyes narrowing in anger. Did she honestly think he could take her seriously when she looked that damned cute?

"I don't know what you're thinking," she whispered warningly, albeit warily, "but just to inform you, an assault on a royal results in a death sentence."

"Hah, your threats are meaningless," he said then grabbed her.

She squeaked and tried to wriggle away, but he'd caught her arms between their chests, and trapped as they were there wasn't room enough to shove him off her – or attempt to, that is. He tightened his hold and nipped at the bare skin of her neck, catching her flesh between his teeth and biting down lightly, emitting a dangerous growl.

"Link, this is assault!" she cried, as he surreptitiously shrugged her robe down her shoulders.

She inhaled sharply when he nipped at the curve of her breast just above her pink brassiere. Feeling giddy with arousal, he stuck his tongue out and swirled it over her soft mound.

"Mmm, Link, you're squeezing me too tightly," she gasped, although both knew that the quick breaths she took - which pushed her full breasts delightfully into him - were the result of what he was doing to her rather than a restricted lung capacity.

He brushed his nose against her collarbone, grinning. "Like, like a like like."

A pause, wherein Zelda took the time to catch her breath, before she said curiously, "I'm not too certain what you mean."

He flicked out his tongue and traced along her milky skin with the tip. "Like number one, is defined by a form of affection. Like the second is used in comparison, and the last two are in actuality combined to indicate a supposedly extinct beast of Hyrule that most commonly used to reside in infested temples." He continued, nuzzling into her chest. She felt so good against him, so soft and warm and cuddly... "Like likes were known to be _very_ affectionate creatures. So affectionate, that when they embraced someone, oftentimes that individual's clothes slipped off."

"And you're trying to do the same to me now?" she quested, amusement carried in her voice as she goaded him.

He sighed, "It doesn't appear to be working, I'm afraid. I suppose I'll have to do it the traditional way."

Giving her one last squeeze he let her go and caressed down her body, spending a good deal of time feeling up her waist and taut stomach then squeezing her hips, before he reached the hem of her panties. He slipped his fingers under the material then changed his mind and withdrew them. Instead he stroked her legs, bending down to kiss along the inside of her thigh. He pressed his lips lingeringly at the cleft right by her covered womanhood, cheek close to brushing up against it.

Zelda whimpered and moaned his name softly, enjoying his tender touch. Inwardly he smirked. It was about to become a whole lot rougher. Deftly he slithered his hands up to grab her hips, ready to tear off her undergarments.

That was when he heard a startled and rather strained gasp that sounded more like a croak, and a number of very loud exclamations.

He shot his head up at the same time that Zelda hastily twisted around.

Ashei stood frozen in place in an opening where the bookcase had previously been, mouth gaping and speechless. At least two heads could be seen poking over her shoulder, eyes bulging with equal looks of horror on their faces. Everyone froze in a standstill.

Link's mind struggled to comprehend the scene. Knights walking in on them unannounced, his head lowered between Zelda's legs, dangerously close to somewhere sacred to all women... He could imagine how this must have looked to them.

Sir Leonard's voice resounded from the back, exclaiming over the silence, "What is it? I can't see!"

That seemed to snap everyone from their collective trance. Zelda gave a horrified shriek and at once Link flung the covers over her, snarling as he glared at the knights.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

Ashei frowned, a furious red rising in her cheeks, and grit her teeth, motioning to the others behind her. "Back! Get back, you lot! Cover your eyes, you revolting savages! Lecherous mongrels!"

She shoved against the knights, who quickly scrambled to heed her orders and shuffled back into the passageway with frantic and somewhat panicked haste. Link could hear the cries of confused outrage from the ones in the rear, who were left clueless as to what was going on, before the bookcase was yanked back in place, clicking as it settled in and latched.

Link growled and fisted his hands in the blankets. Damn interfering knights! Heads were going to roll for this, he'd see to it!

Zelda whined from beneath the blanket, "I thought you said it was a business shrub?!"

Link thought she looked much like a big kitty who had curled up and nestled under the covers creating a lump that just begged to be petted.

He groaned and hugged her bundled form. "I wish it had been. This has been happening more often than not as of late."

Goddesses, could they not go a day without any bothersome interruptions? Lately he found that there was a fifty-fifty chance of having any pleasurable activities disrupted. It was annoying and exasperating. A lot of good sneaking away to a secluded location did them. Next time they were going to Zora's Domain where people actually had a sense of respect for privacy.

Zelda shook with giggles and Link frowned. "Don't try to pretend you're not embarrassed," he muttered. He himself was trembling with rage on her account, so she'd better be feeling something from all of this.

She pushed the blanket down, revealing her face as she smiled at him. "I'm not. I'm actually quite mortified right now. But did you see their faces? It was just so funny!"

She fell into more giggles in an ill-disguised attempt to distract herself from the situation. His features softened at the sight of her flushed and tense, bright pink from her neck all the way up to her ear tips.

He patted her derriere reassuringly, a small offering of comfort.

At length she sat up, gathering the blankets with her. "I think I'll go get dressed and calm my nerves."

"That would be a good idea," he replied as he watched her grab a few articles of clothing and retreat to the bathroom, wearing the blanket like a cloak.

Once gone Link stood and gathered up all the discarded garments lying around the room and rolled them up in a bundle before shoving them under the bed. He took a moment to smother his anger, running a hand over his face before crossing the room and ringing for a servant. He then went over to the bookcase and rapped sharply on the wood.

"You still there, Ashei?" he said testily, crossing his arms, his hands balling into fists.

Ashei's voice was muffled and spiked with irritation as she answered, "Well it's not like we want to go back, yeah."

"Not like we want to go forward either," added the voice of Walter.

Link clenched his jaw, severely irked. "This is how we're going to do things," he hissed, "You're all going to come out and cross the room, without looking around or touching anything! One of the servants will take you somewhere we can properly discuss things. Once Zelda and I are ready we'll see to you."

He took the resulting silence as agreement and tepidly Ashei opened the door and began to lead the rest of the knights out, all sporting bright red faces, including Hadrian and Leonard, who he assumed had been informed of what they'd nearly walked in on. True to his command they kept their gazes down in a bashful sort of way, feeling very contrite as they walked to the end of the room and exited into the hall where a maid was waiting for them.

Cilla appeared to have just arrived and she beamed and curtsied once she saw them. "Good afternoon, Sir Link. Is there something you wanted?" Her gaze wandered over him and it was then he realized that he'd forgotten to put a shirt on.

He narrowed his eyes down at her. "Cilla! And what have you been doing?"

She cocked her head to the side and smiled brightly, clasping her hands to her cheeks. "Whoopsie! It seems that I forgot that the room I locked the knights up in had the secret passage to your personal chambers. My mistake. Won't happen again."

He felt a momentary urge to throttle her, contrasted by an opposing urge to offer her a raise. By locking the knights up and out of the way she was proving her loyalty to him, but by purposefully – yeah right she forgot – putting them in the single room with a passageway that led directly to his chambers she also showed her loyalty to the country. She certainly had a roundabout way of doing things. Very clever…

He figured the two deeds cancelled each other out. No throttling and no raise, just extra chores for disobeying him.

"Cilla, I want you to escort these misbegotten pests to the foyer," he said harshly then added, "and don't take any detours, you are to go directly there."

"Yes Sir!" she said brightly and dipped into a curtsy. She turned to the knights and curtsied to them as well. "If you'll all just follow me."

It was then that Link noticed that all the knights, even passive Sir Walter, were glaring at the girl, mostly grudgingly, Sir Ryan furiously.

"You!" Ryan accused, simmering with rage.

Cilla winked at him and blew him a kiss, which only worked to incense him further. "If you'll just follow me," she repeated.

Ryan snarled and jabbed his finger at her. "Like I'm going to follow that witch!"

"Hey!" Link snapped at him, remembering the incidence at the lake. "Watch the language. The queen's sensitive about those types of derogatory terms."

All derogatory terms, for that matter. When used in proper context it was fine, but not when the word was mutilated and twisted into an insult.

Sir Ryan grumbled in contriteness, before searing his gaze once more at Cilla. "How do we know this isn't another trick?"

Cilla jut her hip out and fixed a hand on it, leering coyly at him. "That's fine, Sir Hotness. You don't have to trust me. Makes things more exciting." She pirouetted on her heel and swaggered down the hall.

Astonishingly, Sir Ryan's face morphed into an even deeper red, bordering on purple. He suddenly had difficulty articulating as he stammered.

Walter came up to him and patted him sympathetically on the arm. "You can wait out here for Link then." He and the other knights went to follow Cilla.

Ryan threw Link one last murderous glare before hurrying after them.

Ashei was the last to leave, taking her time to sweep her eyes over his well-defined chest and abdomen. He glared at her in irritation.

"The queen's sure got it good, hasn't she," she said, nodding approvingly. It was surprising how quick she got over her remorse. She smirked as her eyes met his. "I hope you both at least had time to enjoy yourselves before we barged in, yeah."

His teeth grated together as he hissed, "That would be none of your business."

She waved a hand over her shoulder as she sauntered past him. "Just saying." She then mumbled under her breath, "need to get Shad to do more sit ups…"

Link watched after them until they'd all disappeared around the corner then shook his head and went inside the room, closing the door behind him. His anger instantly vanished to be replaced by concern as he went up to the bathroom and knocked on the door softly.

"Zelda, love, are you alright?" He listened for a response, becoming disheartened when he heard nothing.

He leaned against the door, cheek pressed into the wood and tried again. "Dearest? Gorgeous? Honey-bun? Pumpkin?" His lips curled into a sleek smile. "Sex-kitten? Hot-in-bed-sexy-queen?"

That did the trick. Zelda's laughter permeated through the door and rang pleasantly in his ears. Link pushed off the door as she let him in. She stood on the tiles having changed into an elegant green dress with lacy ruffles at the bosom and white butterflies embroidered into the bodice. Her mouth formed in a beautiful smile and he felt his heart flutter at the sight. She was practically radiating.

"No need to go overboard, Link," she chastised him lightly, taking his hand. "And never refer to me as those last two again."

He grinned at her fetchingly. "Tyrant queen."

"Only when we're alone then," she relented, giggling. "Otherwise-"

"Lord Raleigh will have a bleeding heart attack," he finished, rolling his eyes. "Really, the man has far too many cardiovascular problems to bloody well be alive."

She frowned at him. "Must you always have a barb ready to throw at him?"

"I'm surprised those haven't killed him either," was his smart remark.

She punched his shoulder. "You ingrate," she huffed and squeezed his hand in what she possibly thought to be a hurtful manner, the silly girl, then led him out into the room.

Link's eyes brightened when he saw they were headed toward the bed only to dull in disappointment when she took them pass it and over to the wardrobe, which she threw open and began rifling through for clothes.

He pulled up the vanity chair and straddled it backwards then leaned his arms on the backrest to observe her. She tossed him a clean shirt and tunic, which he easily snatched out of the air.

"Put those on then we'll see to the knights," she said, moving over to the vanity. "I'm sure if we discuss things diplomatically we can come to a concession."

He slipped his arms around her waist when she came close and held her against him, his face pressing lovingly against her stomach. "Those foolish knights can wait a little longer," he spat, clenching her tightly and nuzzling into her. "I'd rather we stay here."

She groaned, hands dropping onto his shoulders. "Not now, Link!"

"You weren't so opposed to it ten minutes ago," he argued.

"That was before things came up," she defended.

"And now they're gone," he grinned wickedly, openly leering up at her. "We can resume our earlier play…"

"Men," sighed Zelda in hopeless despondency, "if they're not fornicating, all they're doing is thinking about fornicating…"

"Can't blame me, love. We've been interrupted for the gazillionth time, of course there's going to be a lot of sexual buildup."

She laughed and patted his head. He stood and indicated for her to take the chair. Once seated he took her comb and began brushing her hair for her, smoothing out the few knots and tangles, sometimes teasing his fingers through just to feel the smoothness of it.

He admired her reflection in the mirror, seeing how her eyes closed and her face relaxed.

"So," she hummed, "how are we going to come up with an amiable solution with the knights without you being executed on the spot?"

He shrugged and replied, "we can just lock them up or leave them waiting and hope they'll go away."

"I disapprove of the first, and I highly doubt they'll simply leave after all the trouble they must have gone through to find us."

He picked up a chocolate brown strand and rubbed it between his fingers. "I'm going to have to confront them then. It can't be helped. I'm a marked man, my love."

She chuckled, "What? You're not going to try to sneak us out the window and steal away on the horses under their notice?"

Link perked at the suggestion. Now why hadn't he thought of that? "If you really want to do it that way…" He set the comb down and rounded the chair. Her eyes snapped open as he took her hands and pulled her up then began leading her to the window.

Zelda blinked in astonishment and struggled against him. "I didn't mean it! Link, that's going too far," she said laughing. "Besides, they looked as if they'd been run ragged. Give them a rest!"

He halted suddenly, causing her to slam into him. He grabbed her by the arms to prevent her from falling over and gave out a long huff of air. "You're right. If we run off they'll never be able to find us again, which eliminates a good bit of fun. I suppose I'll have to deal with them. Face them man to men and woman."

"Good," Zelda nodded, a bit disoriented. "Now get dressed."

He smirked at her, rubbing his thumbs over her arms. "Very well, although I'm choosing my own wardrobe for this... But first thing's first."

He took her mouth in a fierce kiss. His attempt to daze her fell flat however and he was all too soon shoved away and forced to get ready to meet with the knights. Did the miseries of the world never cease?

* * *

It was to their fortune that the maid named Cilla did actually take them to the foyer and not some debilitating place like the dungeons. Not that a mansion like this would have a proper dungeon, and if it did then all the more reason to fret about Link's devious character.

Hadrian dragged his feet as he plodded like a man on a funeral march to the center of the shining marble floor, a curious black design gleaming beneath him. Cilla sent one last wink to Sir Ryan, who grumbled and staunchly turned away, before parting, calling that Link would arrive from anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours. Very reassuring...

It mortified him to think of what had been going on between the queen and her champion when they'd walked in, and he was only further mortified thinking that they could be doing those things right now. He pressed his eyes close, massaging his fingers into his brow. Seeing her in that state… They had disgraced her majesty. They should have their eyes slashed and tongues removed so they could never disclose what they've witnessed. Well… he personally hadn't seen anything of consequence, being too far back in the line, but to be among the party who had intruded on them… Despicable.

None of them were inclined to talk, all of them trapped deep within their thoughts, mentally punishing themselves by self-berating, preparing for when the queen, or as was more likely, Link, decided what to do with them.

To both his chagrin and relief, it didn't take too long for Link to make his appearance. Two stairways on opposite sides of the room curved along the wall to a landing above them. Link, donning dark leather garments and chain mail, strode in from a corridor to the side with the queen on his arm, and walked to the center of the landing where two servants were quickly setting down a cushioned chair close to the railing.

Link led the queen over to it, lifting their co-joined hands high, she twirled once beneath their arms, her dress billowing gracefully, before settling down on her seat. Link kissed the back of her hand and she then clasped them in her lap. He took a place beside her and grinned a feral grin down at them.

They appeared a formidable pair. The queen bright and full of color, posed regally in her seat, long-standing habit making it impossible for her to appear anything but resplendent. She had even donned the crown she'd been wearing upon her abduction. And Link who stood a dark knight beside her, dangerous as he was fearsome – and he was both in great amounts - her silent protector. Woe to anyone who would dare to oppose them.

Hadrian mentally sighed,_ woe to us…_

Abruptly Link clasped his hands and rubbed them together. "So…you lot have fun?" he taunted, sneering.

Ryan at once lost all reservations and shouted up at him, "This is final! We've had enough of your trickery and deceit. The time has come that we shall reap vengeance on you for all you have done to Hyrule!"

Link chuckled and Hadrian could see the queen frown at him and say something silently to him. He waved her off and she shook her head, a slight smile at her lips, before continuing to watch the spectacle.

"Well done," he iterated, "You've made it through my dungeon, but now you have to face the final boss."

The knights began to look around as if expecting a king dodongo to leap out at them. Ashei drew her sword and the others followed suit. Hadrian clenched his in his fist, heart beating rapidly in his chest.

"And what, pray tell, is this boss to be, yeah?" Ashei asked, unconsciously taking a stance.

Link's grin broadened as he stepped onto the balustrade, pulling out his sword. "That," he began, and vaulted off into the air, somersaulting on his way down. He landed in a crouch, arms outspread to keep his balance as he straightened to full height, bringing his sword up and striking a fencer's pose. "Would be me."

Something within him sank as his being filled with trepidation. This was far worse than anything he could have imagined. They might as well walk away now while their dignity was still intact and limbs attached.

The others were too stunned to say anything as Link prattled on, "And in order that you have a sporting chance, I'll face all of you at once. If you can defeat me within an hour, victory is yours and I shall hand over the queen quietly, however if I last the hour you'll find me and the lady gone and your chase resumed." He indicated at the queen with a jerk of his chin. "Zelda shall be the overseer, she'll make certain that no dirty tricks are pulled by either myself or any of you. The aim is to disarm only, once someone loses their weapon they are out. Are we clear?"

Sir Ryan let out a loud bellow. "Hah! Are you so conceited that you believe you can take us all at once?" He struck his arm out, calling over his shoulder to the others, "stand back as I deal with this miscreant myself. I'll have him on his knees in less than a minute. Do not worry, your majesty. This fiend is not long for this world."

Link's eyes suddenly slitted ominously. "Ah, don't think I'd forgotten your slight against her majesty." His countenance at that moment had darkened so deeply Hadrian could have sworn a black aura had manifested around him. "Witnessing her in a state like that. Seeing her so unclothed... You all shall pay for your transgression."

"Don't overreact, Link, it was simply an accident," said Zelda calmly from her balcony. A small table had been set up beside her where Cilla and another maid were placing food and drink for her.

She took a bite from her plate, swallowed and spoke again, "really, I think all this is unnecessary."

"That's your opinion, love," he called to her, without looking away from them. "Just sit tight and enjoy while I eliminate these pests."

To Hadrian's complete bewilderment she simply rolled her eyes and carried on eating as if wholly unconcerned about everything that was happening. The maids took their spots behind her chair, ready to serve her hand and foot should she request. A small gathering of servants had also appeared at the opening of one of the hallways, all craning their heads to catch sight of the going-ons.

"How – how do you expect us to defeat you in only one hour?" asked Walter anxiously. Apparently he was the only one other than himself to realize the futility behind the endeavour.

Link simply tutted, "I've defeated boss monsters in less than a quarter hour. I feel I'm being generous by granting you lot a full one. And besides, I have other more influential persons to entertain." His eyes glinted when he said that and Hadrian thought it curious how the queen made a sound of startlement at the statement. One did not have to ask to guess what he meant.

He didn't much care for what qualified as 'generous' to Link. He'd seen him faced with overwhelming odds and pull through with little effort, but then again those most often were against monsters and they tended to be not as powerful as Hylians.

Hadrian took a sweep of the lay, his allies and their opposition. Perhaps they could do this. They were five of the Knights of Hyrule against one champion. And next to Link, Ashei was the strongest of the knights, undefeated by any other, which had earned her the position of Second in Command. Yes. They could succeed!

The aforementioned knight strode forward, the very manifestation of confidence as she faced him unwaveringly. "You're bold, Link," said Ashei, twirling her blade. "Challenge accepted, yeah."

Link's eyes flashed as he bent low and saluted with his sword, "let's get started then." His eyes sparked as he turned to Walter, the most hesitant of the lot.

"No wait!" called Walter, and then cursed and swiftly brought up his weapon as Link charged at him.

Dame Ashei swiftly intercepted and faced Link directly, their swords meeting in ringing clashes. Sir Ryan didn't hesitate to join the melee, striking at Link's unguarded back. Link merely spun around, sweeping his sword overhead to deflect both attackers at once before dodging to the side, levelling them a taunting grin.

Without further ado, the rest of them went on the attack. Seeing an opening, Hadrian dove in, sword point shimmering under the light of the giant chandelier above, but before he could so much as graze him, Link bent backwards and sent the blade careening towards Ashei, who had been in the process of executing a slash to his ribs. Her eyes widened at the oncoming threat and swiftly she aborted the attack, drawing away and releasing a string of profanities.

The knights continued bombarding Link at every turn, and each time Link managed to evade or somehow direct the weapon to their own side. He moved with ease, really it was as if he was dancing around them, toying with them. And he was enjoying it too. Throughout the battle his face never lost that wide excited grin he wore. It infuriated Sir Ryan, who attacked with vengeance, shouting with frustration whenever Link parried his sword.

"You fiend! Dastardly brute!" called Sir Ryan, each word emphasized with the strike of steel. "Have you no shame? No honour?"

Link laughed and dashed out of reach. "Now really, little Ryan, did you honestly expect there's honour to be had among villains?"

Ryan was an emotional being by nature and his emotions ran wild at Link's taunting. He swung his sword in a crazed fashion, desperate to land a hit, and nearly slicing Sir Leonard's arm in the process.

"Watch it!" called Leonard, stumbling back. "Get a hold of yourself, man."

Ryan only shouted with rage. Link spun and danced with every step. Somehow in all the mayhem, Sir Walter was knocked down, and Link, seizing the opportunity, tore the sword out of his grip to go sliding across the floor.

In disbelief, Walter looked at his empty hand and then up at Link, sighing as he got up to retrieve his weapon. "This is your fault, I'll have you know," he said to Ryan, who scowled at him.

"Obviously you were getting in the way."

Hadrian tensed as Ryan was about to resume his attack when Ashei's voice rose up.

"Time out! I call time out, yeah."

Keeping a wary eye trained on Ryan, Link glanced up at Zelda and she nodded in admission.

"Very well, you all have five minutes," the queen announced. She was eating from a bowl of strawberries now, having finished with her lunch.

Out of respect for her majesty, Ryan backed off and allowed Link to walk away to lean against a wall. Ashei marched over and grabbed Ryan's arm, her grip deadly as she dragged him to where the rest of them stood catching their breaths.

"You need to calm down, yeah!" she shot at him, fingers digging into his bicep hard. "You're becoming a danger to your allies."

"I'm fine," spat Ryan, tearing away and swiping his fringe out of his face.

Leonard snorted. "Oh sure, if you meant to chop my arm off."

"The fact is your anger is making you careless and sloppy, yeah."

"Maybe you should sit this one out," input Hadrian, frowning.

Sir Ryan really was a formidable warrior and highly valued in combat, but there was something about Sir Link in particular, the way he openly goaded him perhaps, that always managed to make him go berserk. He couldn't very well blame the poor man, Link was quite maddening at times, however it didn't justify that he made himself a hazard in the process.

"No! I'm fine…just…" he inhaled deeply through gritted teeth, shoulders tensed as he forced his emotions to settle. "Alright. I'm good..."

Ashei grunted and looked over her shoulder at Link. She lowered her voice. "We need a better strategy, yeah. Already Walter's down."

"How about the one-two-three approach," Hadrian suggested, shrugging. "Link knows all the knight's strategies already, but this one might prove our best chance."

She nodded. "We'll try that then, with any luck we can overwhelm him, yeah."

Leonard shook his head. "He'll see through it instantly."

"No helping that," said Hadrian, sighing.

That was the problem with going up against someone who had previously been on the same side as you, they were privy to all the various tactics and combination attacks.

Ashei gave a muffled snort. Curiously, they all turned to look at where she was gazing in time to see Link blow a kiss to her majesty. The queen visibly blushed and ducked her head, stuffing a strawberry in her mouth. A slight upward twitch of her mouth indicated that she was restraining a smile.

Link chuckled then veered his eyes over at them, tapping a finger to his wrist.

"That little shite," muttered Ashei, voice a mix between disgust and amusement. She stretched her arms out and gave an experimental swing of her sword. "I guess our time is up, yeah. Remember men, he's only Hylian."

A Hylian who had single-handedly saved the country from the Twilight. Hadrian shuddered then immediately firmed with resolve. If they could only somehow overwhelm him…

Sir Walter had planted himself midway up the left set of stairs to watch and he gave them an encouraging wave as they made their way over to their antagonist. Link pushed off the wall and set a hand at his hip, sword pointed downward.

"Alright, Sir Ryan?" he asked with a genial smile.

Ryan grumbled and with heroic effort didn't fly off the handle this time. Just in case, Hadrian placed a restraining hand on his arm.

"We're ready to continue, yeah," said Ashei.

Link raised his eyes to her majesty, who then announced, "Commence!"

Once again they all leapt into action, but instead of going at him all at once, they took turns in sequence, constantly barraging him and wearing him down, giving him no chance for respite. Link's eyes blazed and he grinned widely at them. It was Hadrian's turn to go in and he and Link met in a sword lock, faces drawn close together.

"Ah, the one-two-three strike," he supplied and Hadrian tensed as his grin widened. "Trying to wear down my endurance while keeping yourselves relatively fresh? That won't work. I can last for hours. No literally. Days even."

"That's – that's inhuman," he gasped, eyes widening.

Link pushed his sword into his harder. All of a sudden he let go and backflipped across the foyer, narrowly avoiding Ashei's strike.

"Might have to give up on that plan," he said to Ashei, who flicked her sword in irritation.

She growled, "damn it, yeah. I swear he's not this difficult when we spar one on one."

Hadrian gave her a look of regret. "Think he goes easy on us just so we can underestimate him when it counts?"

She shook her head. "No. Right now he's only evading us, he's made no offensive attacks so far, and he's using our lack of coordination as a group against us. He purposefully set it so that he wins on a time limit while we have to disarm him. Not to mention we have to pull our blows so that no one gets seriously injured. That's why he's winning. Don't let him fool you into thinking he's unbeatable, yeah."

Great Din, she was right. He felt like such a fool.

Link tossed his head and gave the queen a salacious wink. She had taken to standing, hands placed lightly on the balustrade to better oversee the battle.

The fight progressed with neither side gaining on the other. At one point it appeared as if Link was finally flagging under their assault, his face even turning more serious as he fought, only for him to dash to safety at the last second and let out a ringing laugh. Leonard was soon knocked unconscious, then Ryan lost his sword and he stormed over to the stairs where Sir Walter had gathered Leonard to watch over.

When Ashei's sword went flying out of her hands to clang on the floor Hadrian stood frozen in disbelief. Now it was just him and Link. Him against the fiercest fighter Hyrule had ever known. If he failed then who knew when they'd see their queen again. He will have failed Lord Raleigh, he will have failed Hyrule if he did not somehow disarm the hero. But that, he knew, was impossible. Link had easily taken out the other knights without even breaking a sweat.

They'd lost, Hadrian acknowledged. It had been a good battle, and in the end he felt pride for the champion. This was the leader of the Knights of Hyrule, the Hero of Twilight, this was the might of Hyrule's greatest warrior. He was glad that the queen had such a man to protect her.

Link chuckled and strode toward him, head ducked ever so slightly like that of a hunting wolf. He was going to disarm him, he was going to take his win. Hadrian wondered if he should simply lay down his sword himself.

Link had barely taken the next step before a fork of light zapped down and hit him squarely between his shoulder blades. The hero convulsed, eyes widened and mouth gaping before falling in a heap on the floor, body trembling from the surge of power that had shot through him.

"Wh-what? H-how?" he groaned against the marble, straining to pick his head up.

Hadrian watched amazed with the others as her majesty, Queen Zelda, languidly descended the stairs, hand trailing the banister as she glanced over at the bewildered knights before her eyes darted to where Link was sprawled on the floor.

She smiled. "It's about time I return home anyways," she said cheerily, reaching the bottom then gliding across the floor to stand over Link. "You lose, Link."

Link winced, hurt entering his voice as he spoke, "Z-Zelda love, how could you?" He jolted as she pointed a finger at him and once again he was zapped. "Ugh...y-you've killed me…"

She scoffed. "Oh, don't be childish. It's only a little electricity, completely harmless. You'll be fine."

Her reassurance was belied by his resulting groan.

Smiling she faced the knights. "Shall we head out then?"

Hadrian heaved a great sigh of relief and lowered his sword. Link was unmatched by all but for the queen herself, it seemed. He would live and die for her and who could possibly possess more power over a person than someone who held one's life in their hands?

From her spot sitting against the wall Ashei chuckled and stood while Walter halted Ryan from marching over to Link and taking advantage of his vulnerable state. The queen softly coaxed the hero to his feet, enduring his moaning and whining, all the while nodding humorously.

Hadrian was just glad it was all over.

* * *

**A/N: K, so I took the advice of my reviewers, conferred with my beta and altered the fight scene a tad. Hope it sounds better, and if you see any inconsistencies feel free to tell me. **

**"Like, like a like like!" is something I say all the time to my baby brother (7 years old, the sweetie) whenever I give him a big bear hug. He's really into Legend of Zelda too, so it's common for us to make up our own references to it.**

**Out of curiosity…anyone interested in a prequel of sorts? It would focus on the period two or so years before 'Villainous' takes place and will show just how Zelda and Link fell in love. I have an idea brewing in my head as to how I want it to go, but only if you guys want it.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you all for the reviews: Guest (mar 28), SkyRage, OverlordOfGrammaticCorrections, sippurp123, ultimateCCC, FinvarraFaerie, Grassy Nol, TwilightPrincessZelink4Ever, Bloodspire, RosesAndRavens, 11lol11, Acient . tree, Snake and Wolf, Generala, Nintendoes Gamer, Prometheus17, Kinnix Wolf, InvisibleTarget, RageMuffinz, Guest (mar 29), Link0011, DarkFireWitch, Fairy Proxi, Death Waltz, Astercia, sincerely lola, Twokeyz, Dj-MamaMars, Schniedragon88, GreenFantasy64, tetraforce theory, and SuccessfulFailure23!**

* * *

**Chapter 12:**

Link reflected on how he had ended up in the situation that he was currently in. It had started with the knights arriving at Ivy manor, continuing with the little spar in the foyer - in which he was vastly disadvantaged and still ended up nearly winning -and then that last twist whereupon Zelda, his love and representation of all things good and dainty, betrayed him most vilely and struck him with a bolt of her magic.

How utterly devastated he had been. His love! How could she?

Afterwards as he was recovering on the floor, prone and system still jolting from the electrical charge, it was decided unanimously among the knights - if one were to bar his own opinion - that they remain the night in the manor to rest before they ventured out to the castle at dawn. He had been all for expelling the knights from his property and ignoring their, and Zelda's, demands to return, however for some unfathomable reason they hadn't taken his vote into account.

And now here he was, bound tightly to his least favorite armchair in the sanctity of his bedroom, struggling with the knots of a thin rope wound like a tightly coiled snake around his wrists and up along his arms. A nasty bit of business. It was as if Sir Hadrian and the others thought he'd pull off something dastardly in the middle of the night if he weren't tied down like a wayward dog. He hadn't even been allowed repast and his stomach was growling in protest to his lack of food.

The bloody inconveniences! This was only raising his ire. When he did manage to escape he'd be sure to make the repercussions worse for them!

After a while of hopeless wriggling he leaned his head back and heaved a gusty sigh. Ashei sure knew how to tie a knot; she might have made a good seafarer. The only results he was getting were chaffed wrists and a sore back. Had they really expected him to sleep like this?

Frustration mounting, he growled and tried again, twisting his fingers at odd angles as he dug them into the ropes. If his ankles hadn't been bound to the legs of the chair he'd be kicking them in anger, not that he wasn't trying to do his best at that now.

The chair tilted precariously and he abruptly stopped his squirming, allowing his seat to find purchase on all four legs before he dared to move. He had no desire to be toppled over.

Unable to physically vent his rage, he resorted to sharp curses, he had a whole assortment of those at his mental disposal and many people to direct them at.

He abruptly ceased. There was the slight creak of the floorboard and the whisper of fabric. He lifted his head to stare at the door even though the noise was coming from somewhere behind him.

Ears twitching in apprehension, he slowly angled his head around as far as it could go to look sidelong at the intruder.

Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised to find Zelda, in nothing but a short nightgown and a near transparent robe, coming out of the passageway behind the bookcase and approaching him with a light smile at her lips, but he pretended to be so anyways.

"Well well," said Link smoothly, regaining his roguish veneer. "What have we here? A queen come to sneak into a gentleman's chambers in the middle of the night? Tut tut, quite unseemly of you. One might think we're lovers."

Her smile broadened. "That would be a falsehood," she said, practically cooing, "you've been quite adamant recently that you are no gentleman." She was now close enough to whisper in his ear.

He shuddered at the warmth of her breath. "You are still breaking the rules of propriety by coming here."

"I am queen, I can do whatever I want anyways." She came around to splay herself across his lap, arms winding their way around his neck, and suddenly Link was quite amenable to his situation.

"I thought you might be lonely cooped up here all alone, so I came to keep you company," she said in a provocative manner as she leisurely slid a hand down his shoulder to his chest, "and perhaps…to partake in more stimulating activities."

Unconsciously his eyes flitted toward the door where he knew one of the knights stood guard on the other side, but Zelda just laughed.

"I've already silenced the room, they won't hear a thing," she assured him suavely, her grin telling as she tugged the top of her nightgown lower. His eyes instantly fixated on the increasing amount of exposed skin, the swell of her breasts starting to spill out of her sheer dress as she pulled it further down.

How deviously corrupted she had become. Of course, all due to his efforts, he was certain. It gave her a sort of appeal he couldn't help but admire, different than her sweet and innocent one, but no less enticing.

"And I suppose you took care of the knight guarding the secret passage?" he inquired with amusement, mouth watering as she pulled the gown even lower.

Zelda grinned and shrugged her robe off to pool around her waist, revealing the creamy skin of her shoulders. "Sir Walter didn't even see it coming and he won't have any memory of anything unusual happening by the next day. He'll simply think he fell asleep at his post and he's bound to be too ashamed of that to mention it to the others."

Goddesses, but she was wicked.

"Then hurry and untie me," he urged, already feeling the burning of desire rush through his veins, igniting his senses in a most delightfully painful way. "We'll indulge in your pleasurable pursuits and be out of here by morning."

He grew wary at her sinister smirk, a silent threat of unspeakable things to come. "That's not the way I planned it," she whispered softly against the skin of his neck, leaning close, she swung her legs over the armrest, the inside of her knees pressing close against his forearm. From there she cupped his chin and made him look at her face. Link felt the familiar stirrings of lust commit to his lower regions and he was sure she felt it too.

"It's been a while," she said lowly, huskily, "since we've played at bondage… It's not oft that I have you in this position."

His pulse beat rapidly in his throat, eyes rounding in realization. He felt the softness of her lips as they pressed against his chin. Another shudder shot through him.

"Helpless…trapped…at my mercy…"

His wicked wicked queen.

With enormous effort he steeled himself to her desires, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from moaning in anticipation. "You vile temptress! You're going to have to make me beg for it."

She tittered. "With pleasure!"

* * *

The ride back to the castle was not made with as much haste as the knights' previous urgency implied it should. Rather it was a very slow affair, everyone seemed in a morose mood and immersed in their thoughts, only to respond to Zelda as she fluttered around to all the knights in turn and engaged them in bright chatter, positively radiating sunshine. The knights would put on terse smiles but remained somewhat hesitant as if battling inwardly with themselves with want to tell her something, however her obvious happy demeanor caused them to refrain as if they didn't want to douse it by any means.

Ashei had taken point, leading the way with Ryan close behind her. She wanted to keep close tabs on him for some reason or another. Maybe because whenever Sir Ryan chanced a look over his shoulder Link would smirk connivingly at him, rousing his temper. Ashei would respond with a warning glare to both. The sight of her hand at her sword hilt was enough cause for Ryan to quickly back off and scowl at the ground. Next to Ryan was Sir Hadrian, who occasionally sent sympathetic looks over to him, which were wholly unappreciated. Sirs Leonard and Walter took the rearguard, and they watched him severely, like twin alphas ready to snap at a pack member if he crossed the line.

It was in dismal company that he carried on. Dismal, but for the presence of Zelda.

Link, from his position in the middle of the party, hands bound to the saddle horn, tight and secure, wasn't certain whether or not she was aware of their silent deceit. Obviously it couldn't be too terrible or else nothing would have stymied them from informing her what was wrong. It was peculiar, however.

After talking long with Walter and Leonard, she at last turned to him and set Epona at an equal pace to his current horse, a tawny mare named Silph. It had annoyed him immensely when Ashei had refused to let him ride Epona, thinking that the horse's loyalty and substantial cleverness would aid him with any escape attempt he made. Very wise of her, but irritating nonetheless.

What was even more bothersome was the knowledge that, had Zelda not distracted him so delightfully last night to the point of exhaustion, he'd have been unbound and they'd both have been out of the manor and halfway across the woods well before sunrise. As it were, he'd fallen asleep, despite the uncomfortable position and his bonds, and woken in the morning to Ryan's boot. Along with sporting a painful crick in the neck, the added bruise to his side had not been welcome.

The light touch of a hand on his arm drew his attention towards Zelda as she smiled at him. "Are you well, Link? You were staring so hard between your horse's ears I feared you'd become sightless."

It was easy to forget that Zelda had been the cause of all this last night while they'd been wiling away their last short hours together in what will most likely be weeks. However, now that they were well on their way back to the castle his annoyance at her transgression resumed.

He deigned to ignore her, casting her one short glance of contempt before sternly turning away.

Zelda merely laughed at him. "You're being petulant, Link. It is the fifth day anyways. Hadn't our agreement been that after five days we return to Castle Town?"

Not in this manner!

His eyes occupied themselves with studying the trees, peering through their tangles on branches upward and catching the occasional glimpse of blue yonder, clear of overcast. They followed the road, but even if there was none he'd still know exactly where they were and that it would take them a little over four hours to reach their destination.

His ears flickered obstinately at the gust of a low sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry for using my magic against you. I thought you'd forgiven me last night." Her voice then lowered and he felt the heat of her as she leaned forward conspirationaly. "After all, I did make it up to you."

He glanced with the others up ahead to the side of the road where an unsuspecting buck had meandered into the open. Upon seeing them, it bounded away back into the bracken. Link kept his gaze at that spot as if waiting for the deer to return.

"Oh, please don't be mad at me," Zelda entreated, in a most unbecoming way for a monarch. Her voice was low enough so that the others couldn't quite detect what was said so only Link was privy to her begging. "Please Link? I'll try bargaining with Lord Raleigh to lighten your sentence, I'll be certain to order you not be hanged or have your head chopped off, or be drawn and quartered for that matter. I won't flick your ears anymore, this time my promise will last a full year. I'll go on more walks with you around the garden, I'll even let you braid flowers into my hair like you used to."

Red rushed to his cheeks at the memory. He'd caught her at a rare moment when she'd fallen asleep on the garden bench surrounded by forget-me-nots and violets and it had been almost an inherent reaction to fashion her hair with the beautiful flowers – the result of being bullied into playing with Beth and Ilia one too many times. At the time he and Zelda had not been as comfortable with one another as they were now, so her reaction when she'd awoken had been a sort of confused delight. She never grew tired of teasing him about it, but for a while afterwards they could often be found sitting together amongst the flowers as he weaved the different flora into her hair. He'd stopped outright when Ashei had caught them.

It became harder and harder not to look at Zelda as she went down an entire list of alluring propositions, a few of the ones with more pleasurable connotations almost made him give in, but if there was one thing he was good at - nix a few hundred others - it was being stubborn. As the wielder of the Triforce of Courage, he was tremendously resilient. He would not give in.

At that moment she snapped, voice rising in a hiss, causing Hadrian to look curiously back at them. "As your queen I order you not to be upset with me!" A second later her face scrunched in a frown, "Oh come now. You're the one who broke the law by abducting me, if there's anyone who should be angry it is me! Why should I be made to feel guilty for disappointing you? You have no right!"

She had just raised her arms to flick the reins to propel Epona forward when he swiftly leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek. She blinked, stunned, then turned to him, still blinking. He adorned a sheepish grin and gave a slight shrug of the shoulders.

"Sorry…?" He said this in a way that implied it was all fun and games, he hadn't really been mad at her. Zelda was not amused, and she revealed this by scowling at him.

"Link, I swear if your punishment be death then I will not utter a word in your defense," she said with great hauteur.

As if old Raleigh would ever get away with sentencing Hyrule's hero to death. The people would riot. They absolutely adored him.

"Then it shall be a mercy, for it won't be worth living if I can't have your love," he said with a forlorn air.

Now it was her turn to suppress a smile, a futile attempt for her lips quirked ever so slightly in rebellion. "Your flattery will not move me."

"Might as well leapt from my horse right now then and hope I break my neck," he muttered and made to do so. As anticipated, she grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him straight.

"Don't you dare!"

"Oy! You two getting on alright back there?" called Ashei from the front. Both she and Sir Ryan were twisted around in their saddles to see them, Ryan's face contorted in a sneer.

At once Zelda released his arm and Link chuckled lowly. "No…er…yes, we're perfectly fine," she replied, looking over at Link, her eyes twinkling. "You are insufferable."

Link grinned at her with coquettish affliction. "Among many words to describe me."

* * *

As they entered the town the citizens stepped aside and watched raptly as they would a festive parade. Zelda waved at them, showing that all was well, and they cheered at the sight of her, glad of her return. They also cheered at the sight of Link, despite him being condemned and led as a villain through the mob. He smiled cheekily and dropped a wink here and there, to Walter's amusement and everyone else's consternation.

At a signal from Ashei, a small contingent of soldiers surrounded their little procession as an extra measure, spears at the ready to aim at Link the moment he made a move. He spotted a number of them fighting to contain their smiles and he figured that any attempt against him would only be half-hearted anyways.

It seemed that all the citizens had thought it had been a grand scheme to abduct their monarch, fanning the flames of their romantic imaginings featuring the two.

Any lingering guilt Link had felt for his act was extinguished at the cheery ensemble to either side of him. Even Zelda was shaking her head with slight humor, lips touched with a smile.

When a rowdy group of men hollered out to him Link suddenly became bashful at the familiar feeling of importance and ducked his head. He'd been leading the troops for a few years now, but even still he had an abhorrent dislike of attention and fanfare.

"Don't let it get to your head," said Ashei reproachfully, bringing her horse alongside his. "If you pull off another one of your idiotic pranks and make us chase you all over Hyrule again, I won't hesitate to acquaint you with the cat."

The use of the cat, or rather, the cat of nine tails, had been banned in Hyrule for over a ha'century, but Link didn't bother to make mention of it.

His attention was caught as Zelda bent over to pick off a candied cherry from a tray that a vendor was offering to her then plop it into her mouth. He marveled at her gracious smile as she thanked the vendor then once again faced front as they continued down the street.

"And what a merry chase it was," he cajoled, earning him a dour look from the dame.

"No, it wasn't, yeah."

"You're telling me that you experienced no thrill in hunting me down?" he quested with curiosity. "Hyrule's obviously been at peace for far too long for you to forget what tracking convicts and renegades is like. We used to have such fun after the Twilight Invasion."

Ashei looked wistfully on ahead, her expression conveying the look of reminiscing. "Those who took advantage of the chaos to conduct their evil mischief seemingly without repercussion. Hah, they hadn't anticipated such a swift recovery of our forces. We had over half of them rounded up before they could leave the country, yeah. Mostly due to yours and the queens sublime conjoined recovery efforts. And then there was that case with the assassin." Both shuddered at the mention of it. It was best left in the deepest recesses of their minds, not quite forgotten but not prevalent enough that they could easily dwell on it. Those had been horrid days.

She blinked as if coming back to herself, and once again turned her glare to him. "But those were the blackest hearts, ones who all deserved the gallows. I rather think that your case is different, yeah."

"Am I not of the blackest of hearts?" inquired Link, raising a brow, the way his ruffled hair swept in his eyes giving him an appearance of someone far too mischievous to be taken lightly.

Ashei smiled cheekily at him. "If anything, you have a puppy heart, yeah."

Link tried not to show his surprise and stifled the automatic reply on his tongue that he was a wolf, not a puppy. Instead he shrugged and went back to staring at Zelda, admiring the sway of her hips as they rolled in sync with each step Epona took. He took the time to appreciate her slender form, his gaze wandering over the flare of her hips, leading toward a plush bottom. Her elegant face was turned ever so slightly as she spoke heartily to Hadrian.

They soon arrived to the hustle and bustle of a busy castle as soldiers gathered at the bailey, adding to the number that already surrounded their crew, the Royal Council – most specifically, one Lord Raleigh – taking no chances with Link's capture. He had to admit, the fact that they went to such lengths served only to inflate his ego.

Mentally Link went through the various escape plans he could get away with were he in the mind to go through with them. As it were, he would at least honor his agreement with Zelda. They'd return to the castle…and yet, she hadn't said anything about staying in it…

Before he could properly make up his mind whether or not he should once again whisk them out and away they soon dismounted. Ashei unfastened the rope around the saddle horn and wound it tightly around his wrists in front of them. Taking the lead she tugged him along as they entered the Presence Chamber.

The few nobles milling about were swiftly ushered away, the doors subsequently closed and barred. A set of hurried footsteps from the opposite end of the room signalled the arrival of Lord Raleigh and Shad who was hurrying behind him, pinning his spectacles to his nose so that they wouldn't fall off.

Link sent the latter of the two a murderous glare, and the scholar faltered, almost stumbling in his steps. Shad gave an audible gulp and wisely kept his distance, face falling in relief as he spied Zelda fixing her hair and brushing it behind her ears.

"Your majesty, thank the goddesses you've returned safe," said Shad.

Link's glare heightened into pure animosity. Did he think he'd allow her to get hurt? Falling off a cliff notwithstanding.

He grew insanely jealous at the look of happiness that graced her face when she spotted him. "Oh, Shad. Yes, I'm well, thank you. Very well actually." Her eyes were mirthful as they peered at him and Link felt moderately assuaged.

Lord Raleigh then came up and grabbed her in a hold, scrutinizing her from top to bottom for injuries in a fatherly mannerism. "Your majesty! I cannot apologize enough for our inefficiency. It shames me most deeply that our men had failed to stop Sir Link." At this he cast Link a look that could be called deadly, to which Link smirked.

"It was a difficult task," said Ryan, hand reaching back to rub a sore shoulder, "but we managed in the end. Not rain nor high wind can stop the Knights of Hyrule when injustice has been done."

"Now now, I'd hardly call it injustice," added Sir Walter, giving Ryan a placative pat on the arm. "Link never really had bad intentions, did you, Link."

Link barred his teeth in a dark grin. "Not at all."

"Bad intentions or not," input Leonard, "he still went against the law. It still counts as an injustice."

Hadrian frowned, rubbing his chin. His beard had grown longer in the short while they'd been away and Link thought he could do with a shave. "I only hope there's still time. Lord Raleigh?"

Raleigh scowled, the lines on his brow becoming more prominent as he addressed Zelda. "Your majesty, I fear the news I bear will not please you."

Link eyed them all cynically. And here it was, the secret that the knights had been unwilling to divulge to Zelda. They were all shifty about it still. Was it that bad?

Although she retained her smile, Zelda's eyes now possessed a hint of severity as she motioned him to go on. "What is it, Lord Raleigh?"

The old man inhaled then sighed deeply. "It's about the treaty. The Terminian prime minister has issued that the date of conference be set to the day after tomorrow."

The assembled knights had all gone pale, fearing what sort of reaction their queen would have to the proclamation. Link himself felt his heart beat a rapid drum in his chest, a sudden anxiety washing over him. Day after tomorrow? That was too soon. Zelda still had to have a week's worth of work left at least! She hadn't yet completed writing up her proposal, and he'd…

He'd mucked things up, that's what he'd done.

He looked to Zelda to see her reaction only to find her unresponsive. Momentarily she parted her lips and in a small voice, spoke, "and this he decided without Hyrule's agreement."

Raleigh winced and shut his eyes firmly as if dreading what he was about to say. "I had thought little on the matter so consented with the intent of informing you soon after I had sent off the reply. By your account you didn't require the full period given to complete your work so I had thought to get the meeting over and done with. And then that brigand stole you away and ruined everything!"

"Wait, so this is partly your doing," shot Link. Stepping forward he immediately had a dozen soldiers pointing their spears at him. "And you become angry with me for allowing the queen some time to rest?!"

"That could have easily come after the conference!" retorted Raleigh. "Your impatience is that which is at fault here!"

"I see…" said Zelda, at once stymieing Link's intended counter.

He studied her with an aching heart. Her eyes were downcast, her brows drawn in a slight furrow as she worried her bottom lip. When she lifted her head to address them all in that regal way that only she was capable of pulling off, Link felt guiltier than ever.

"I must hurry and finish writing up the treaty," she said stolidly and with determination. When she looked at him it was not with the accusation or anger that he deserved, only resignation. "Take Link to the dungeons. His fate shall be decided after we meet with the Terminians."

Then she swept away. One of the soldiers went to unbar a side door and she hastily glided down the corridor, Shad following close behind. Link felt too disheartened to be angry with him anymore. He hoped he'd be able to help her, but from what he'd heard only she had full knowledge of the things to be done and the research involved. Apparently drawing up a treaty was no small feat.

His arm was roughly snatched by a hard grip, tapered fingers digging mercilessly into his bicep.

"Come, knave," hissed Ryan, spitting in his ear. "To the dungeons with you."

Link didn't resist as he was led away by Ryan and Walter, the latter regarding him with kind sympathy as they led him down down into the depths of the castle to his cell. Link thought himself most deserving of his fate as he followed along quietly.

Over and over again he cursed his impulsivity. He had sought to relieve Zelda from any stress and offer her a few days of relaxation but instead he had only added to it. If Zelda didn't complete her work what would the Terminians think of her? An incompetent ruler, no doubt, lazy and lacking responsibility. He'd make certain to take all the blame for her. It may still reflect badly on her, seeing as he was Hyrule's champion, but at least she wouldn't be under direct disapproval.

If Ilia were here she'd call him a numbskull ten times over.

Link continued morosely onward, buried in his somber thoughts. If things went badly for Zelda he swore he'd spend the rest of his lifetime making it up to her.

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**A/N: ****A promise of goodies to come ^.^ **

**Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So tired. Been writing til 3 in the morning. Don't know exactly waht I wrote, but meh. Will revise when I can keep my eyes open for longer than ten seconds at a time. G'night everyone. Zzzzzzzzzz**

**Thank you for reviewing: ultimateCCC, animeflunky, Grassy Nol, Lady . Zayriah, Twokeyz, 11lol11, Guest (apr 20), Kinnix Wolf, Bloodspire, Nintendoes Gamer, Kyranol1, Fairy Proxi, guest (apr 20), Death Waltz, Generala, tetraforce theory, Prometheus17, DarkFireWitch, Schniedragon88, Ancient . tree, PestGuest, dbzgtfan2004, GreenFantasy64, Dark the shark, SoftCadence, Belladona, Astercia, and SuccessfulFailure23!**

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**Chapter 13:**

He'd slept in many unusual places in his day. Infested temples, ramshackle houses inhabited by cats, abandoned bulblin camps, out in the wilderness during rainstorms, and all in various states of health from relatively good to practically dead. However, none of them, not even that time he'd fallen asleep with a bulblin arrow still pinned in his thigh, offered as disturbed a rest as these past two nights in the dungeons had.

Link once again rubbed his eyes, fighting off the itch that demanded he close them. For over a day and a half he'd been lying there on his cot, unable to claim any amount of rest. His mind simply wouldn't allow it. He was too fraught with apprehension over the situation with the Terminians.

He frowned, lips pulled in a grimace. The Terminians could go off themselves for all he cared. What had him concerned was all the work Zelda had to get done on their account and the time constraints with which she had to work with, and all because of him.

Sir Leonard was right. Good intentions did not excuse ignoble deeds. It had been beyond dishonorable of him to have kidnapped her. What sort of example was he setting for his men? And the townsfolk? All the citizens who looked up to him had thought it great amusement, but because he had disregarded the law would they think it right to disobey as well? Surely they had to know that he was the exception. He was the Hero of Twilight, after all. He was on a different level than most everyone else. Then again he was a major role model. He'd have to make certain that he showed just how remorseful and ashamed he was in order for them to understand the repercussions that come with committing a crime. They had to know that under no circumstance was it something to take pride in.

Hyrule has already had enough villains to contend with, he didn't need to go initiating the creation of more.

Sighing, Link rolled onto his side, cushioning his head on an outstretched arm. At least he wasn't shackled, although he'd have given no word of complaint if he had been. Right now he deserved to be miserable. Goddesses knew Zelda must feel ten times worse. There was a lot at stake, and should the treaty negotiations go wrong Zelda would take the entirety of the fall.

Idly he wondered how she was doing. Was she almost finished, or did she still have days worth of work left to her?

Earlier that day he'd been visited by Sir Walter, who had informed him that Zelda had been holed up in her study since they'd returned to the castle. She'd only left once to briefly bathe and change into her nightgown before she was once more plugging away at the treaty. She hadn't even gone to bed. All her meals had been brought to her by the chamberlain, along with several rounds of tea. No one else had seen or spoken with her.

Link drew a hand over a face full of strain, fretting over the state she'd be in after all this. He'd seen her at her best and worst. She may be able to hold her composure and remain dignified when in public, but behind closed doors after a stressful ordeal, he'd always been there to comfort her as she fell apart.

It was dawn, precisely an hour before the meeting was to take place. The Terminians would have arrived late last evening and been taken directly to the finest guest rooms the castle had to offer. Formalities entailed that they get business out of the way first before, depending on the outcome of the meeting, they'd either remain for a few days in order to be polite then leave in a huff, or stay to formalize the treaty while enjoying their visit to Hyrule.

Link expected he'd find out how it went by midday. With the amount of work Zelda was putting into it, it was likely the meeting would be a long one.

A set of footsteps striding down the corridor suddenly caught his attention. They were headed toward his cell, and indeed when they halted he saw Hadrian on the other side of the bars. More footsteps echoed against the stone and a number of guards arrived soon after.

Link hastily sat up and cocked his head. Hadrian merely looked at him and sighed, massaging the back of his neck.

"I would have never thought you of all people would end up here one day," said Hadrian, motioning one of the men forward.

The guard unearthed a ring of keys from beneath the collar of his tunic and approached the bars, setting the correct key in the lock. After a soft click he swung the door open, the metal bars grinding from rust.

Link sprang to his feet and strode out. "It's not all that surprising. Been down here once before, if you can believe it. Locked up in a cell a few rows back."

Hadrian eyed him oddly and shook his head, mumbling woefully under his breath. "Only Link. Only ever happens to Link."

Chuckling, Link followed when Hadrian bade him. The guards drew a tight circle around him. Old Raleigh was obviously still circumspect of his intentions.

"Where are we going?" asked Link lowly. Abjectly he considered whether or not he was going to be executed, although he had a feeling Lord Raleigh would rather have him suffer for a while first.

His eyes detected the tensing of the other man's shoulders. Hadrian coughed before replying. "The council wants you cleaned up in order to attend the meeting."

Link's eyebrows flew up. He hadn't thought he'd actually be permitted to attend. "So old Raleigh wants me presentable before I'm spitted."

"It's not as bad as that," said Hadrian. "And you shouldn't call him 'old Raleigh'."

Link rolled his eyes. Hadrian was ever so serious. It had a tendency to exasperate him on occasion. He smiled as a few of the guards chuckled.

Abruptly, Hadrian stopped and angled his head to peer over his shoulder and glare at him. Link noted that he had takent the time to trim his beard back to its proper length. It suited him much better.

"Sir Link, I respect you very much and I apologize that things had to turn out this way," started Hadrian, and the guards suddenly fell silent. "But this is hardly an appropriate time to be jesting."

Again the severity of the situation hit him, wiping away all humor from his face. He frowned and thought of Zelda. "No, it is not," he conceded.

Hadrian nodded and they continued on.

A short while later found Link washed and dressed appropriately to receive the dignitaries. He donned a modified version of his hero's garb, having long outgrown his apparel from when he was seventeen, complete with his sword fastened to the belt at his waist.

When in any other instance he'd have entered with Zelda on his arm as her escort, this time he waited at his place at the end of the table, two seats away from Zelda's at the head. The council members were all present, along with the Terminian ambassador and his entourage. They spoke pleasantly with one another as they awaited Zelda's arrival.

Link had his elbows perched on top of the table, fingers entwined with his forehead pressed against his thumbs. In this position his fringe covered his face, so no one was able to see him staring with bleak eyes at the etchings on the table.

Oh, Link knew why he was here. He knew exactly why. Lord Raleigh had ordered him to attend so that if anything did go wrong and tensions rose, he'd be there ready to take the blame. He was going to rightly be held responsible for everything. And Link would bear it all of his own volition. He'd do anything to help Zelda out, and Raleigh was counting on it. He despised the old man, oh how he hated him more than anyone else in the castle, but he could not hate him for this. For once he was on Lord Raleigh's side.

Zelda was taking longer than usual. He suspected that Raleigh was trying to buy her a bit more time as he entertained the Terminians with more enthusiasm than he was normally known to exhibit.

"What's up with the lad? Is he unwell?"

Link's ears pricked as he heard the Terminian speaking of him. His brows furrowed when he heard Raleigh scoff and reply.

"No, I assure you he is not," said the lord. "And if he is suffering it is from a poor conscious."

"A mistake in the line of duty, is it?" asked the man. "My dear lord, we all make mistakes. It cannot be all that bad. What could possibly go wrong in this day and age?"

"If only you knew, sir." Lord Raleigh's tone was full of vice as he answered.

Link was about ready to pound the table with his fist and tell him off when suddenly he heard the sound of shuffling fabric and screeching chairs as everyone made to stand.

He at once got to his feet and performed a rudimentary bow at the sight of Zelda at the door. Link's eyes quickly swept over her top to bottom, noting every stray strand of hair that escaped her chignon, the sway of her long dress and the tilt of her head. He searched her face for any sign of distress and found none. But that did not mean anything. Zelda was adept at concealing any feature that could construe to unhappiness, whether physical or nonphysical. And no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to read her. He could deduce nothing of what she was thinking. Like the others, he was blinded to her intentions. It was a quality that marked her as a true politician.

Head held high, she glided in the room, trailed closely by two assistants who bore arms laden with scrolls and books. Zelda personally carried a single scroll, the smallest of the lot.

Link's bow deepened when she passed by him and for a moment he thought he felt the touch of her hand on his arm before it drew away.

Once she reached her chair at the end of the table, she turned toward them and swept out a single ringed hand before her. "Please be seated."

There was some more shuffling as the ministers and Terminians pulled up their chairs and sat. They all leaned forward over the table and listened to what she had to say. Link spotted more than a few of the council members biting their lips or fidgeting with their fingers.

Zelda took out the scroll she'd been holding and unrolled it before her. "I thank you all for being here. Hyrule and Termina have always been amiable neighbors, but this is the first time we've decided to officially ally our countries. We both have many things to contribute to one another. I'm certain, my lords and ladies, you will be most pleased with what we have to offer."

The four Terminians in attendance perched eagerly on the edge of their seats. The ambassador spoke for all of them. "You would benefit us greatly. And in return we would share the bounties of our nation with you." The ambassador sat back, clasping his hands over his protruding belly. "If you would proceed."

Zelda nodded. "Very well." With a flick of her wrist she sent the scrolls and tomes her assistants were carrying flying out of their hands to spread all over the table.

Maps with elevation lines, documents with tables and statistics, lists and passages, all opened up to them and everyone became focused on them. Link's eyes darted from one spreadsheet to another then glossed over the maps. Silently he noted that everything she revealed to them was common information, or knowledge that could easily be found out on one's own. There was nothing she presented that would give the Terminians any sort of an edge, whether they agreed to the treaty or not.

He smirked. Just what he'd expect from his clever queen.

The Terminians looked on in wonder, drinking up all that was shown to them. Although not incriminating to Hyrule, it was still useful knowledge.

Zelda's eyes glittered as she tapped the edge of a frayed document, directing everyone's gazes to it. "We shall begin here…"

And so for two hours Link and the ministers watched shocked and amazed as Zelda presided over the meeting with great alacrity. His eyes remained transfixed on her throughout the entire conference as she relayed Hyrule's offer followed by the Terminians who listed theirs, then started an endless debate over the terms of the agreement. The meeting went off with nary a hitch and by the end Link could tell that both sides were very pleased with the outcome.

Minister Raleigh had to consciously remember to close his mouth more than once when he discovered he was gawping, struck in astonishment. The other ministers were no better off. They'd all thought that the meeting would be a disastrous haphazard affair and that they'd need to constantly intercede to cover the holes in Zelda's plans, however that never happened. She hadn't any need for them and had only called upon a few of them for confirmation of knowledge for some of the details. What they had anticipated to be a stressful morning had turned into anything but. Zelda had come fully prepared and organized, ready to tackle and win any dispute the Terminians posed to her with ease and keep everyone in good spirits at the same time.

Wrapping up the meeting, Zelda smiled and bade the Terminians good afternoon. They exited with broad smiles of their own and gathered around a servant who was waiting to guide them to their rooms in order for them to freshen up for luncheon.

One of the men stopped at the door and gave an extravagant bow. "You make a fine queen for Hyrule, your majesty. Through your rule I only see good fortune resulting from this alliance."

Zelda smiled and placed a delicate hand over her mouth. "Pish posh, you flatter me, sir."

"I fear that no amount of flattery will ever be able to describe your excellence," he replied then left.

Exuberant, Zelda swiped a strand of hair behind her ear. She ordered one of the assistants to gather up all the papers, while simultaneously listing off a number of items needing to be addressed to the other, who wrote it down rapidly on his notepad.

"Y-your majesty," said Raleigh, voice wavering as if at a loss. His chair was drawn back and he braced his hand on the armrest. "How in Hyrule were you able to-"

Zelda tilted her head toward the minister while waving a hand to dismiss the attendants. "Yes, Lord Raleigh?"

Acutely aware of the other ministers in the room, Lord Raleigh composed himself and started again. "Your majesty, may I enquire as to your proficiency at getting things done?"

Link strode the two steps it took to reach her and took her hand in both of his. She gazed up at him as he smiled softly at her. "However did you manage to pull this off?"

Her eyes were vividly laughing as she looked at him inquiringly. "Do you speak in jest? Pull what off?"

How he hated whenever she evaded his questions. It annoyed him to no end, and she knew it too. She was purposefully being a bother.

Still smiling, he held her hand more tightly. "Don't be difficult. How'd you get everything done in time?"

"Oh, that," she answered but offered no more.

Growing impatient, Lord Raleigh prompted her to continue. "Your majesty, if you would be so kind," he said through gritted teeth.

Zelda laughed and pulled her hand away. Link let her go. In truth it didn't matter one wit to him how she'd done it. The fact that she'd successfully secured an alliance with the Terminians and that she wouldn't have to suffer for his foolishness was good enough for him.

While heading for the door she looked over her shoulder at them. "It is simple, really. There was little more to be done."

Lord Raleigh fell into step behind her as she walked down the hall. Link would have followed, but the instant he stepped foot out of the chamber the guards were upon him, surrounding him once more.

"Link, join me?" said Zelda having stopped and turned to him with Raleigh frowning beside her in disapproval.

Since it was a direct request from the queen, the guards could do nothing as he went to her and offered his arm. She took it and once more walked on.

"You see," she elucidated, "the day that Link broke into my study I had everything already completed. I simply needed another hour or so to finish revising. I'd been working excessively on the treaty for the past few weeks to hurry it along just so that I could have some free time to spend with Link before the negotiations. That was why I was constantly tired and refused to see anyone. I had been up for hours into the night. I do not imagine I would have been good company then." Her eyes shimmered as she looked up at him. "It appears, however, that Link decided to take the initiative himself. Everything was fine in the end."

Well, that explained a lot.

So essentially she'd been planning a vacation of sorts from the beginning? And was there a reason why he was only hearing about this now? Couldn't she have clued him in sooner instead of driving him mad with worry for two whole days?!

Raleigh seemed to think the same thing. "But when you returned why did you not tell us? When I mentioned the meeting's new date you looked as if you'd seen a poe."

It was true. She'd been white with horror that day they'd dragged him in.

Zelda hummed and smiled cheerily. "I had been concerned over the change of date, but not overly much. As I said, everything was virtually already done."

"Then what were you doing locked up in your study for so long?" pressed Link, thinking back to what Walter had told him.

They made a turn to the right and continued down another corridor, this one specked with loitering nobles. They bowed as Zelda passed while she nodded at them.

"Reading," she replied simply, placing a finger to her chin as she thought. "And napping. Simply enjoying a little alone time. No one dared to bother me so I was left to my uninterrupted solitude." She eyed him piercingly. "I do value each and every moment we spend together, but you can become quite tiresome at times, Link. A break from everything was exactly what I needed."

This woman. There were no better words to describe her than witty, crafty, clever and a sneak. They all amounted to the same thing really. Zelda was as sly as a keaton, and did not fear abusing her power of Wisdom to her own advantage.

His cunning, sexy, queen.

It made him yearn to whisk her up to her rooms and take her again and again until she begged for mercy.

He swiftly leashed his thoughts before the evidence of his cravings could fully form. However, it still did not alleviate the urge to crush her to him and taste her sweet lips. If only the hall was abandoned.

Lord Raleigh had nothing to say to her revelation. He walked stiffly, stewing with inner turmoil, deciding whether he should be feeling embarrassed that he had been so fooled or to be relieved that the negotiations had gone well.

Link fervently wished him gone. He had things to do. Things that did not involve onlookers.

"Don't you have foreign guests to entertain, Lord Raleigh," he said tersely.

The moment he was gone Link could scoop her up and rush to her rooms. Straight, left, then right turn, up a curving stairway, into a secret passage and down another hall and they'd be there in no time. He knew the layout of the castle intimately and could find the fastest shortcuts to her rooms from any location.

The minister abruptly turned on him. "And you, boy! You still have a sentence to carry out."

Did he really have to do this now! Link was about to protest before Zelda chimed in.

"Ah, yes. I nearly forgot." Her face fell and she squeezed his arm in dismay. She appeared heartbroken as she gazed up at him, her bright eyes filled with pain. "I'm sorry, Link, but I cannot overlook your crimes." She hesitated then breathed in. "I hereby sentence you to five months in prison..."

He gazed at her longingly, barely listening as Raleigh called the guards and once more they were shackling him with his arms behind his back. Ashei appeared among them and she grabbed his arm and started to lead him away. He tried to twist around as he walked. Nothing registered in his mind. All he saw was her.

Suddenly Zelda darted past the guards and grabbed onto him. "Wait! Allow us to at least say goodbye!"

Lord Raleigh frowned, disconcerted. "Your majesty, I don't-"

"Sod off, will you!" spat Link, indulging in the warmth of her body against his. "Let the woman have her say."

The minister gaped as if contriving to figure out which should he be more appalled at, Link's language towards him, or the way he addressed her majesty as 'woman'.

Zelda dug her hands into his tunic. A crowd was forming around them, nobles and servants alike poking into the hall to see what the fuss what about. His peripherals picked up the forms of Hadrian, Walter, Ryan, and Leonard, as well as a few other knights he regularly trained with. Shad and Auru stood under an archway, the younger man fixing his spectacles as if disbelieving of what he was seeing, but Link paid none of them any heed. His last moments with Zelda were far too precious to linger on anything else.

Her eyes were shimmering as she clung to him, whispering waveringly, "I – I don't want you to go. Know that I do not want this."

He sighed and pressed his forehead to hers. "You will not have lost me forever, love."

"But five months," she gasped sorrowfully. "How can I endure without you for five months?"

"Be brave," he said softly, before hissing under his breath, "and be stealthy."

Beneath her tears her eyes shone with wry amusement. "I shall. Do not forget me."

"Dear Zelda, tis more likely you would have forgotten me and become infatuated with another dashing young man in my absence."

She frowned, suddenly all serious. "You do not honestly think that!"

Link shrugged. "I've known you to be fickle."

At that moment Ashei cuffed him on the head, yanking hard on his arm. "Enough melodramatics, yeah. Great Din, you two are so sappy I don't even pity you anymore."

He was then marched down the corridor. Many of the onlookers were shaking their heads sadly, some of the die-hard romantics were wailing into kerchiefs, while others sent him reproving looks. As much as he despised publicity, it was necessary. He had to be made an example of.

He twisted to steal one last look at her. She was standing twenty paces away, hands clasped over her heart as she watched him being dragged off. It would take all of three seconds to reach her...

Instead he willingly walked away.

* * *

Link was humming one of the tunes he'd learned from the howling stones – the one just outside Zora's Domain if he remembered correctly – when he heard her coming. She tread lightly even for a woman, a trait that had been drilled into her or that she'd naturally acquired from birth. Many times he'd been taken by surprise when she'd creep up on him, however this time she wanted him to hear her.

She stopped right outside his cell. Link stared at the far wall and continued humming. He was positively relaxed. It was easy to imagine himself among the Ordon goats, lying in the grass while chewing on a strip of tree licorice. Ordon held many good memories for him, but also some of the worst. It was in Ordon that Ilia and the other children were kidnapped and his quest as Hero of Twilight began.

There were times that he yearned to return so much, to run in the forests and wander the village, that he'd suddenly take off and head home back to his tree house to enjoy the simplicity of life once more. Yet there were also times that it made him ill at heart to be there. He would then return to the castle for he had a larger part in life now and wished to live it alongside the many friends he'd made. As long as he had both worlds, he was content.

"Link? That is you in there, right?"

He stopped humming and didn't respond. He grinned when he heard her huff in irritation.

"Bother, did I just speak to a convict?" she muttered as she began to leave.

He decided to alleviate her fear. "It's me, love."

Her footsteps faltered and she spun around to glare at him through the darkness. "You purposefully did not speak up when I asked for you." A light suddenly shone in her hand and flew to hover near the ceiling, illuminating the small cell.

Link squinted and threw an arm over his eyes. "Is it wise for you to be associating with a hardened criminal such as myself?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, it is," she said, settling on her knees close to the bars. She smiled wryly. "Considering that you happen to be my dear husband, it would be rather tricky not to associate with you."

He arched an eyebrow and strode over to sit next to her on his side of the bars. "That is true," he said smugly, reaching through to grasp her hand.

She laughed. "And to think it has been two years now and yet no one suspects."

Link grinned. It was one of Hyrule's most well kept secrets, the queen's marriage to the Hero of Twilight.

Two years ago, after yet another debacle that had nearly cost Hyrule everything, he and Zelda had used the excuse of a reprieve to Ordon to elope. Mayor Bo had presided over the ceremony and the villagers had all gathered at the spring to witness. Although they did not wear wedding bands, for such was the Ordonian way, they were wed legally and spiritually. And only the two of them, the Ordonians, and the light spirits knew. The 'secret' part had been Zelda's idea. Perhaps she got off on the thrill – heaven knows he did – or perhaps she simply wanted one aspect of her life to not be revealed to the public, either way she had insisted, they had discussed it, and it had carried on until now.

"I was thinking," said Zelda, leaning up against the bars, as close to him as possible. "We should visit Ordon again sometime soon."

He grinned broadly at her. "Wanting to relive our wedding night, are you?"

"How about, craving another vacation," Zelda countered, shoving his side. He laughed and held her as tightly as he could with these metal obstacles in his way. "And I miss the treehouse. It was quaint. I liked it. I love all of Ordon actually. But we do get interrupted by the children more often than I would like."

Link scowled, gripping her hand harder. "Blasted brats. I put the scarf on the doorknob and still they waltz on in. And they never get it that when we say we want to be alone it doesn't mean they can follow us around at a distance and watch what we do."

Zelda giggled. "You never did seem the type who'd be into voyeurism."

He started at her words. "Zelda! Goddesses, just thinking about how many times we could have been caught…"

"And that time we were caught," she pointed out, still giggling. "It's a good thing that Rusl is good natured and understanding or else he might have done more than simply turn around and walk away when he found us in the barn."

"Worse than the knights stumbling upon us in the bedroom," said Link, shuddering. At least then the clothes had still been on. It was a tricky business, having intercourse, as proven by their latest vacation.

Perhaps not Ordon, and maybe not even Zora's Domain. No, their next vacation should be somewhere that no one ever visited. The Sky Temple would do. But then again it was beset with the Ooca. Goddesses was there nowhere in all Hyrule they could be alone? It was hopeless for them.

Sighing, Zelda got to her feet and Link followed her up, still clutching her hand.

"I must go," she told him. "The guards will be waking up, and I require sleep if I am to entertain the Terminians come tomorrow."

She pulled away but Link held onto her, drawing her close. He kissed her through a gap in the bars and murmured against her lips. "You sure you're not interested in a dungeon tryst?"

Zelda laughed and kissed his cheek. "I think not. It's filthy down here. And I didn't take the keys so cannot enter the cell."

In answer to this, Link grabbed her by the hips and thrusted his pelvis against her. "I believe we can make it happen," he said suggestively.

He felt her shudder under his touch and gave another thrust. He was dismayed when she tore out of his arms.

"No, Link," she breathed heavily. He smirked despite his disappointment. "I really must leave."

"Allow me to give you a kiss goodnight then," he said, serious this time.

She smiled and came up to him. He clutched the bars as she kissed him long and hard. Finally they parted, breathless and dazed.

"Remember, love, I'll be here for five months." Her fault actually. She could have gone with five weeks, but no, it had to be months. Somehow during that time he was certain he'd be able to convince her into participating in dungeon play.

Zelda breathed slowly and nodded. "I shall. Goodnight, Link."

He watched her go, eyes lingering before he went to sit back on his cot. He began humming again.

He hummed louder when a drowsy guard passed by a few minutes later and barked at him to quiet down. Knowing that it was Zelda who put the man in his stupor only made annoying him all the more satisfying.

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**A/N: Notice in previous chapters how Zelda never once denies it whenever Link claims that they've eloped. She only chides him for bringing it up ;)**

**Twokeyz: Good idea, but I think 'Devious' has stuck with me. I'm probably going to center a lot of Link's behavior around that too, lol. **

**The knights are extremely prideful, if you can't tell, especially Ryan. The others are just too tired and annoyed at Link to refute his claims, and Zelda doesn't really care if Ryan takes the credit or not. So that's why.**

**Financial stuff is still a bit unsteady, but slowly getting better. Thank you so much for your concern, it means a lot ^.^ And you never need to worry about me giving up on any of my works. Only death and maybe amnesia would stop me from finishing them. **

**guest (apr 20): I'd say most of Ryan's hate stems from really bad first impressions and after that he and Link never got on well. Ryan's very emotional so he can hold grudges for a long long time (and he probably has a million grudges against Link by now). **

**I believe that Link's able to take on Gorons because the metal boots stabilize him and his body is so used to the motions from wrangling goats all the time, but I do agree that he still has to be super strong to be able to do all that. The reason why he can't get out of the ropes is because he doesn't have any momentum behind him, and also the ropes are a special make and so can't break easily (some magic involved there). But he would have eventually been able to wriggle out of them if Zelda hadn't appeared, lol. **

**Thanks everyone for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Just a quick note, I have the lemony version of 'Villainous' up to chapter 10 posted on Deviantart for your reading pleasure. Actually, there are two bonus chapters inserted in there, so it's really up to chapter 8. Ah, well. Enjoy.**

**Thanks for reviewing: Grassy Nol, ShadowRogueVII, Generala, Shaveza, Lady . Zayriah, ultimateCCC, Death Waltz, SoftCadence, Ancient . tree, Kyranol1, Prometheus17, TwilightPrincessZelink4Ever, Bloodspire, Twokeyz, 11lol11, ThePredicate, Astercia, Kinnix Wolf, GreenFantasy64, Dj-MamaMars, Fairy Proxi, LiddyRose, DarknessFathom, tetraforce theory, Finvarra Faerie, sincerely lola, and A True NaZaMi Fan.**

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**Chapter 14:**

Zelda stood among the lush greenery of her private garden, admiring the hydrangeas and hyacinths. Their petals were speckled with dew from the morning air, like glittering diamonds, fast receding as they evaporated beneath the heat of the sun.

Gingerly she brushed her fingers over the soft blue petals before moving on at a leisurely pace to the rosebushes. It was rare to have this time to herself, a full day with no council meetings, no social functions, and no Link - although she admitted she was starting to miss him.

It had been a week and a half since his imprisonment and during that period she'd been able to sneak in and visit him twice more. She smiled at the recollection. Jail time was apparently making him broody. During her last visit he had sat pouting in his corner on the cot, resolutely trying to ignore her. When asked he revealed that he was cross with her for issuing that he be held for five months instead of weeks, or preferably days. She'd had to remind him that under ordinary circumstances when a queen was abducted the result was death. It had made him no less petulant. Reports from the guards told that he was fast becoming restless and he was quick to snap at them for the most menial things, like walking or breathing too loudly. He scared them out of their wits and they often fought over who got to be the one to bring him his meals since nobody wanted to go near him. He'd also begun doing exercises in his cell to maintain his fitness. That was one good thing she supposed.

Perhaps she'd see if she could lure him out of him brooding corner next time when she brought him some scones. She'd have the cook bake some later today and bring a basketful when she saw Link tonight. His surliness didn't bother her, rather she thought it was decidedly amusing, this was her revenge after all, nevertheless evidently he was in need of some appeasement else he become even more bitter.

She smiled softly as she breathed in the scent of the roses. She'd been feeling exceedingly happy recently. And it was not only because Lord Raleigh and the other council members had deigned to give her some time off after the whole treaty ordeal, which Hyrule was currently prospering from. It was just…because. Just because.

Wandering along one of the stone paths, she reached the central area where four statues of large-billed birds were stationed at each corner. The space was enclosed on all sides by tall hedges, providing full privacy. A lean birch tree grew in the center among blossoming flowers and long wavy ferns. At the northernmost end a creek intersected the display, flowing gently from one end of the garden to the other where it would then join the underground waterway that led to the river. It had been manmade, its base inlaid with stone, the structure too organized, unlike the wild creeks of the forest, but Zelda still thought it was pretty, especially littered as it was with floating blossoms.

It was here, next to the creek and sequestered in its own private nook of the gardens, away from the other flora, that she found her most treasured feature. Yet another rosebush, but with roses a red so dark they appeared to be as black as night. Tentatively she glided her fingers over one that was in full bloom, drifting down the stem then gasped and quickly withdrew her hand when her ring finger got caught on a thorn.

She observed the wound, a slight prick where the tiniest amount of blood welled up. She tensed as all of a sudden a pair of strong arms surrounded her, pressing her into a chiseled chest. A chin came to rest on her head.

"You know," said Link huskily from behind her, "Black roses don't only symbolize death and suffering. They can also mean the birth of an era of hope and joy. They also inspire confidence and enthusiasm."

"Link!" she exclaimed, looking up at him with wide bewildered eyes. "How did you-?"

He scoffed, smiling fetchingly at her. "You didn't honestly believe those dungeons would hold me forever?"

"I had hoped it would," she muttered, sighing as she leaned her head back against his broad shoulder.

"Really? Forever?"

At once her ears reddened as she realized the implications of her words. "N-no! I didn't mean it like that. Only until you've served your sentence..."

He only chuckled at her and bit her ear, tongue caressing the tip. Darn it. He was teasing her again. She shouldn't take everything he said so seriously, it was liable to damage her people's image of her one day. What would they think if they knew that their hero could reduce her to a blushing little girl.

She sighed listlessly. She had known it was only a matter of time before he somehow figured out a way to break out anyways. Chances were he wouldn't even tell her how he did it, keeping that little secret to himself in case it came in handy sometime in the future.

He took a hold of her wrist and observed the glistening digit, red with blood. He then carried her wounded finger to his mouth and engulfed it in his warm moistness. His tongue soothed over the cut and Zelda closed her eyes, relishing the moment. Once he was finished and the bleeding stopped he released it and her finger tingled in the cool air.

She turned around to properly face him, her eyes connecting with his twinkling blue. "You've told me that before. About the roses."

He hummed in response.

It was actually Link who had gifted her the rare rosebush three years ago. It had been a dying little thing that he'd found during his travels and brought to her to reside in her garden. Under their combined care it had begun to thrive. Many would have called it ghastly, the black flowers dark and depressing, however, Zelda found them enchanting. A breech of nature, not unlike the Twilight. They were both dark and haunting, and one was not quite sure what to make of them so automatically assumed the worst, but when appreciated they became something glorious.

"I should call the guards," she threatened, even as she wound her arms around his waist.

"By all means," he snorted in amusement, calling her bluff.

"You could get caught," she intoned warningly.

He chuckled lowly. "These are the royal gardens. Your ridiculously large private gardens, surrounded by tall defensive walls. There are only two entrances: the gates, which are guarded at all times by no less than four soldiers, and the secret passage, which none but you and I know about. The only windows that look down onto the grounds are those from your wing of the castle, which nobody would dare enter in your absence, except for the servants, who only go in to tidy up between eight and ten in the morning. It's almost noon. The prison guards' shift had only just changed before I came here, and trust me, they won't be checking on me until supper. I seem to frighten them for some peculiar reason," he spoke darkly, smirking in humor, "I haven't the faintest why."

Zelda rolled her eyes and made certain he saw her do it. "As if you didn't intentionally scare them off with your foul mannerism."

"Charm, m'dear," he informed her prudently. "If anything I am charming. They simply couldn't handle such eloquence. The brutes."

She smiled sweetly at him. "Charming indeed."

"Naturally."

"Quite."

He stepped closer and Zelda had to tilt her head far back to look at him. His dashing smile was as compelling as usual, the wayward strands of his golden-brown hair flitting across his brow, some even long enough to flick across his high cheekbones, smooth and angular. Overall she found him irresistible, which was why, as he leaned down to brush her lips with his, she did nothing to stop him as he devoured her.

She breathed sharply through her nose as their mouths mashed together in beautiful oneness. Her head started spinning and suddenly everything around her was dotted with black spots. They parted and she stumbled, vision becoming hazy as she swooned.

"Zelda?" he called, grasping her shoulders when she lost her balance and nearly fell over. She braced weakly against him, focused on breathing deeply. "Zelda, what is it? Are you hurt?"

Without waiting for a response he picked her up and brought her over to a bench. He lay her down then bent to one knee beside her, checking her health faculties and making sure they were in order.

Her sight cleared quickly, the dizziness abating. A relief. Lately she'd been feeling rather nauseous and she couldn't say that she liked the change. In the end it would be worth it, however. For now she just had to bear with it.

"Zelda? Love, should I send for the physician?"

It warmed her that he would risk exposure simply because of a small ailment. She offered him a reassuring smile, an arm draped over her forehead to shield her eyes against the sunlight.

"I'm fine, Link. It's just a spell. I'll be right as rain in a minute or two."

The look he gave her conveyed his skepticism, but he ceded nonetheless. He tenderly stroked her hair, brushing the wisps away from her coronet then rubbing the tip of her ear fondly.

Zelda savored the sensation. Focusing on his attentions helped to ease her lingering lightheadedness. At length she sat up, brushing off his assistance as she got to her feet.

"I feel a walk would do me well," she said lethargically.

"Here," said Link, offering his arm. "So you don't trip over yourself because apparently my very presence overwhelms you." He slanted her a cheeky grin, although it held an undertone of concern.

Zelda was tempted to bat it away, but thought better of it and accepted, knowing that she might very well need the support. They started down the walkway following the shallow creek, tiny orange speckled goldfish skimming along the surface, drifting lazily with the current.

"So," Link began with an air of nonchalance, "Anything of interest happen while I've been locked up in amicable confinement?"

Zelda smiled and pondered lightly over the question. "Well, the Terminians have gone."

He snarled. "Blasted lot. About damn time they were tossed out. Far overstayed their welcome."

"They were here for less than a week," she chided before continuing on. "Minister Raleigh has been busy with overseeing the changes implemented by the treaty. I'm afraid he and the other council members have taken on my share of the work as well. I feel guilty for not helping out, but Lord Raleigh insisted that I allow them to handle the affair. I admit I am partially relieved at that and can give no complaint."

"Good for him," Link interjected stiffly.

Zelda shot him a glare. Link shrugged.

"You did all of the work beforehand, this is merely their share of it. Less than their share, actually," he hissed.

She withheld a laugh. She veered her eyes above them as they entered an archway of trees, the many branches draping over them in nets of wisteria.

"And the knights? How do they fare?"

Ah yes, there'd been another report from the guards concerning Link's imprisonment not three days ago. Apparently he'd demanded the Knights of Hyrule all see him in his cell and then had berated them from behind bars for their ineptitude and incompetence, all the while vehemently digging in the fact that had it been a true villain who had captured the queen she could have very well been beyond their reach by now and any number of foul altercations could have befallen her. He'd shamed them more than they'd ever been shamed in their entire lives and had quickly set about organizing new training regimes for them. He had also requested some writing materials in order to formulate the details to establishing a better line of defence and protective strategies. He considered it imperative that they learn from this embarrassing debacle, a disgraceful display of the knight's incompetency.

Well, as long as it kept him occupied so he was not sulking all the time.

She squeezed his arm and answered, "Carrying out your orders and wearing themselves thin day after day with training."

Only for the past two days, actually. Ashei had been in a frenzy instigating Link's changes. Using his scrawled outlines and untidy notes, she'd arranged sparring sessions for the knights and had overseen the training of the foot soldiers and guards. It was as if the entire castle had become one enormous barracks. The nobles and servants didn't know what to make of all the activity so stood by and watched and tried not to intercede. Zelda was certain that once her men were all used to these changes the fuss would die down, and Castle Town would be more protected for it.

For her part, Zelda was content to stay out of the way else she cause them undue stress with her presence. Anywhere she went the guards snapped to attention, bearing an alertness that almost bordered on paranoia. It was exasperating, so she decided to ease their worries as best as she could by remaining within the castle... for now.

He nodded. "As they should be."

Her eyes flashed with this next little snippet she would feed him. "I also heard that Sir Hadrian has taken a vacation himself now. He left for Ordon just yesterday morning."

Link abruptly came to a halt, seething under his breath, "At a time like this? Just as we're improving security measures?!"

"He's done enough by helping to track you down," said Zelda. "I offered the others a respite as well, but they refused."

"Good work ethic," Link noted approvingly, before blinking in sudden bemusement, a thought occurring to him. He peered down at her as they continued on their walk. "Why Ordon?"

Oh, this would be grand. Zelda could hardly stem her anticipation. "Word of mouth tells that he intends to go courting," she smiled wryly at him. "It appears he's taken a fancy to Ilia."

Silence descended. Then Link shook his head, laughing loudly. "Well now, that's a surprise. I can't say that I despise the match. I sort of worry though. Ilia's rambunctious and Hadrian's silent. It will be a challenge for Hadrian, what with their personalities clashing so violently."

Zelda quirked an eyebrow. "What about Ilia?"

"No no, Ilia's good."

His affirmation led her to believe that the Ordonian girl was self-assertive and capable. And why wouldn't she be? After the horrible events of the Twilight Invasion and all the hardships she'd been through it was impossible not to be.

She hummed and nodded. "I wager a wedding is soon in coming," she said then deliberated on what she was going to say next. "We may have to make our own marriage known to Hyrule very soon. Or at least arrange to have another more public one."

They neared the end of the path at the southern wall and walked along it, following the hedge.

Zelda waited for a reply from Link. She glanced at him and was taken aback when she saw that his countenance had changed to something more murderous, his body tense. An ache appeared in her heart. Was he that against others knowing?

She was allayed, however, with his next words. "Don't tell me the council is pushing you toward marriage!"

Zelda blinked and then sighed in relief. "Of course not," she answered. "My private life is of no concern of theirs. It matters not to them if I ever marry and have heirs; there are others in succession to the throne. Although they would prefer it remain in the direct line…" Goddesses, did Link see her blushing with warmth at the thought?

Link gazed at her curiously, coming to a stop and turning to her, gripping her arm loosely in his. "Then why?"

Zelda smiled heartily at him. Taking his hands, she hesitated for a moment then placed them on her stomach. His fingertips reached out and brushed her gown before his hands smoothed flat against her.

His eyes widened in realization and a look of wonder overcame his handsome visage. "You mean-?"

She nodded delightedly and breathed out, "Yes."

He looked down to where his hands were, caressing over the thin layer of her gown. "In there?"

Zelda laughed. "Yes. Where else would it be?"

The next instant Zelda squealed as her feet left the ground as Link swung her up and twirled her. Zelda laughed in delight, holding onto him as he spun her. He stopped and began planting kisses all over her face, still holding her up.

She laughed and closed her eyes as she tried to squirm away, ineffective though her attempts were while trapped in his arms. "Link!" she giggled as she felt his lips on her nose, cheeks, eyelids, mouth and chin. "It's enough!"

He drew back and Zelda slumped against his shoulders watching his face take on a mischievous gleam.

"No, it's not enough," he declared, gazing at her so intently it made her shudder. "It's never enough. I must have you now!"

Her body immediately flushed with want. Oh, the things he said to her.

The next hour passed in unfathomable bliss, both revelling in their passion and the life that it had created.

* * *

Link was awoken by the bed shifting as Zelda rushed out and dashed to the bathroom. He winced at the sounds that ensued.

Shuffling tiredly to the edge of the bed, Link got up and strode to where Zelda was leaning over the toilet, hair in disarray and tears streaming from her eyes. She breathed in a harsh gasp before once again emptying her stomach.

Link knelt beside her and gathered up her hair, pulling it out of the way. He massaged her back as she keened miserably.

He sympathized with her, could even pity her, but never in his life would he want to trade places with her. He was far too weak and cowardly and all other manner of unmanly things to be able to bear the trials of women. Not that he didn't wish that he could somehow take away her discomfort, only he was more or less out of his league in this instance.

He took in her feeble form with sad eyes. Where was that glow all pregnant women were supposed to have? Why couldn't it remain with them at all hours rather than only a few during the day, leaving them to suffer behind closed doors and out of sight for the rest of the day.

...She really did look pathetic.

He sighed disconsolately. "It's times like these that I have to remind myself how much I love you," he lamented. At that moment Zelda again upheaved into the toilet. He winced and looked away. "Repeatedly…"

She weakly smacked him on the thigh then leaned back against him as she fought to catch her breath. Luckily it never lasted long, but it did take a lot out of her.

Tenderly, Link helped her get cleaned up. Taking a rag, he washed her face and smoothed out her hair. He then took her to the basin where she washed her mouth over and over again until he thought she might drown herself.

When she was finished he picked her up and carried her from the room. Her arms were slung loosely around his neck as she buried her head in his chest, face strained and eyes drooping tiredly.

Link felt his heart pang in helplessness. There should have been a potion or something invented by now that stymied these symptoms. Actually there was, however apparently it posed too much of a risk for the babe so was essentially useless. Magic also would be tricky. One would have to have a considerable amount of control to be able to direct it properly, and in Zelda's state that would prove hazardous.

She sighed into his shoulder and snuggled against him. He shifted her to a more comfortable position.

"Heartless beasts," Link spoke softly, murmuring into her hair as he laid a comforting kiss on her head. "Even before they're born they do their utmost to make one's life miserable."

"Leave my baby alone," she mumbled, voice muffled by his nightshirt. "It can't help it that my insides are shifting around unpleasantly."

"As any mother would say," he replied, setting her down on the bed.

Zelda flopped on her back, hands rubbing her belly through her pink satin nightgown. Link lay on his side beside her and placed his hand above hers.

He wasn't too familiar with pregnancies, other than with goats, that is. He was older than all the children of Ordon and by the time he'd been living there everyone but Malo had already been born. And even then Pergie had secluded herself within her home practically the entire time she'd been pregnant. Then there'd been Uli a few years later, but by that time he'd been too busy working on the ranch and only helped her around occasionally when Rusl or the other women weren't there. She'd never shown any symptoms other than becoming larger.

"Link? What time is it?" said Zelda, leaning up on her elbows and craning to look at the timepiece on the mantel. "Link, you have to leave. They'll catch you!"

He groaned and flung an arm over her waist, burrowing his face in the covers.

Ever since finding a way to escape the dungeons a little over two months ago he'd been sneaking out to see Zelda every night in order to be with her. No one but them knew of her pregnancy and he'd be damned if he wasn't there to provide emotional and physical support. Mostly they enjoyed the late evenings together before they slept entwined in each others arms. When morning came Link would venture out and return to his cell before anyone came to check on him. The guards suspected nothing, Lord Raleigh certainly wasn't bothering with him. It had been a close call when Ashei had come down to see him right as he'd been letting himself back into his cell, but luckily that disaster had been averted. It was yet another adjustment he needed to implement into the new security act.

Plans for their second wedding were also underway, although only a select few knew it was their second. It was to be held in three weeks, on the first day of summer. The people had been both shocked and elated when Zelda had announced that she would be marrying Link. Many had been anticipating the union for years and Hyrule was practically in an uproar. Others, however, mainly Lord Raleigh, were not as fond of the idea. Old Raleigh may have wanted to see them wed - something about their acts of indecency - but he found the timing less than ideal, Link being in prison and whatnot. Link actually had hopes that this wedding would cut down the length of his sentence. The queen couldn't marry a convict after all.

Ilia and the rest of the Ordonians had also been excited at the prospect of another wedding, rather smugly at that, seeing as how they were about the only ones privy to their first. Ilia had practically barraged him with letters; the amount had veritably astounded the prison guards. In each of them she berated him for his foolish impulsivity while also exclaiming how happy she was for him before berating him again for effectively forcing the queen to marry a villain. He had half expected her to come personally to his cell to lecture him.

In reply to her letters he asked the regular questions: how the village was faring, how was everyone's health, before demanding her to add in little details about this thing she had going on with Hadrian. She was purposefully being vague about that. Typical Ilia.

"Link," said Zelda sternly, leaning over him and snapping him out of his musings. His shifted his head to look at her and his eyes at once fixated on the nice view she was unconsciously presenting to him. Her bust, plump and full, peeking out of the top of her nightdress.

He really..._really_...wanted to touch her...

Her eyes gazed pleadingly at him. "If you don't go now the guards will find out you've gone and they'll take extra precautions to secure you. The council might even lengthen your sentence."

He twisted around onto his back and darted his arms out. Zelda squeaked as he pulled her onto him, embracing her tightly, leaving no room for escape.

"I'll go…just not yet," he said, shutting his eyes and enjoying the feel of her soft luscious curves against his front. So very enticing... "I want to hold you for a little while longer."

A gust of breath hit his shoulder as she sighed. "Oh, very well. Ten minutes and then you must leave."

He smirked. He known she'd relent. He held her to him, hands traveling along her waist and hips.

Zelda wasn't showing yet, it was far too early for that, but her body had changed in ways that he found so very appealing. It was as if her weight had shifted around, causing her thighs to become thicker, her rear larger, and –Oh Goddesses- her breasts, how they swelled and fit snugly in his hands.

Currently those breasts were pressed against his torso and he ached to flip her over so he could play with them from behind.

She shifted on top of him, her thigh narrowly grazing into his hardness.

"What are you thinking?" she said, cheek nestled on his shoulder.

He gave her a wolfish grin and raised his eyebrows. "Do you really want to know?"

He could practically feel her roll her eyes as she muttered dryly, "Perhaps not."

Chuckling, he played with her strap before sliding it down her arm. "Perhaps yes."

Zelda huffed but made no move to replace it. Furthering his aim, he deftly took a hold of the hem of her nightwear and tugged it upward. He was dismayed, however, when Zelda rolled off him.

He sat up, one knee bent as he slung an arm over it and glared at her. "You shouldn't tease, love."

Zelda shrugged and knelt on the covers. "It's been ten minutes. You have less than a quarter hour to return to the dungeons."

Link groaned and ran a terse hand over his face. He peeked at her between his fingers, eyes gleaming. "You know...you're the queen."

She sat back on her heels, crossing her arms while levelling him an inquiring glare. "Yes. And...?"

He lowered himself to all fours and began to crawl toward her. Zelda didn't budge an inch. "And you have the power to alter my sentence. Wouldn't you rather I carry it out here?" he whispered huskily. "In your chambers. With you."

She leaned back as he hovered over her, making her fall against the mattress. "That would be less of a punishment and more of a privilege," she said in a steady tone, her words unwavering.

Determining that she was not near flustered enough, he decided to up his ministrations and glided his hands over her waist. He touched her tight stomach where the baby, _their child,_ slept in loving comfort. He lowered his mouth to her collarbone and tasted her skin, heading down to those beautiful breasts he'd been admiring. "Precisely," he murmured.

"It-it would defeat the entire purpose," she panted then moaned as he squeezed her breast. "Ah! Link!"

He had to be careful. Her breasts had become sore and tender, he had to make sure to apply just the right amount of pressure that gave her pleasure while avoiding hurting her. She hummed in delight as he molded them in his hands. He knew exactly what to do to turn her on.

Unfortunately time was running out. If he wanted to continue this sometime before his sentence was up he'd have to leave.

He kissed her forehead and pulled away, drawing satisfaction from the dazed look in her eyes. He brushed a hand over her cheek softly. "Tonight, Zelda. I'll return tonight and then..." He gave her quivering body a full once over, openly implying what he had planned for her.

He left the bed and dressed in a plain tunic and breeches, his prison wear. Zelda shuddered from her spot lying down on the covers, and moaned lowly.

"You leave me in a wretched state," she whispered full of desire. "How cruel..."

By Farore, she was begging to be ravished and he was about to deny her. It was a sin among men! Against every instinct in his body he turned away and suppressed his urges, offering her a teasing smile over his shoulder.

"You'll just have to 'come' without me," he jeered and almost laughed out loud at her appalled expression. He strode to the wall and pressed a hidden lever, watching as a part of it vanished. Before him was a dark gaping hole that travelled through the innermost parts of the castle. He slanted her one last cheeky grin, committing the sight of her alluring sprawled out form to memory. "Be sure to call out my name."

With that he stepped through the archway and disappeared into the hidden passage, chuckling as she groaned after him.

* * *

**A/N: I felt that this chapter was full of clichés :P Hope that didn't ruin the quality of it at least. **

**One more chapter to go! I'll try to get it out quickly for you guys. Don't want you to wait too long. **

**Also, I have most of the plot for 'Devious' sorted out so I intend on posting the first chapter sometime soon. Probably mid next week. I have two weeks of vacation so I'm trying to get a lot of stuff done before it's all work work work. I don't know how fast updates will be afterwards. **

**_Twokeyz_: Didn't I tell you it was a given ^.^ (I believe it was mentioned on deviantart). Baby is a must! The very idea of TP Zelda and Link getting together and having babies is so adorable, there was no stopping it.**

**So *clasps hands and rubs them together* baby… I'll leave the gender for you guys to vote on, I just can't make up my mind. I'll tally it up before the next chapter and we'll see from there. **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I purposefully made this chapter a long one (in comparison to the others that is). I must have gone through six drafts before I decided on one that I was happy with. I had a lot of input from my sister so it ended up way different than how I had originally planned it. For one it is more like an epilogue than a final chapter. And, well... it might not be quite what you guys were expecting. There's some twists, odd ideas, and some reveals, I'm sure a lot of it will surprise you. So read on and enjoy!**

**Thanks for reviewing: ultimateCCC, ThisIsANiceName, Grassy Nol, Generala, Death Waltz, sippurp123, SwaggyStiles, Lady . Zayriah, 11lol11, TwilightPrincessZelink4Ever, Kyranol1, A True NaZaMi Fan, Dark the shark, Zero, DarkFireWitch, Guest (Jun 6), Prometheus17, Snake and Wolf, Guest (Jun 6), Snowclip, Bloodspire, Kinnix Wolf, Twokeyz, Ancient . tree, GreenFantasy64, Dj-MamaMars, DarknessFathom, tetraforce theory, Guest (Jun 12), SuccessfulFailure23, jwill21, oghren, and wisdom-of-me! **

**Thank you all so much!**

* * *

**Chapter 15:**

Link was only half listening as the woman droned on about something or another concerning whatever it was she had come to request. Really, the specifics eluded him. He was only there for show.

Overtly he glanced down at the papers that his assistant and person in charge of his timetable, Leila, had handed to him, which he made useful for concealing the book he was reading. He at least had to appear as if he was concerned about the woman's problems. He was positive that Zelda had dealt with it the other week. The woman was just here because results were taking too long, as if somehow by complaining he could speed it up. Hah!

Seated on the throne, reclining comfortably into the red velvet cushioning, Link leaned an elbow against the armrest – a necessary implement he'd insisted on adding - and rested his cheek against the back of his knuckles. His crown rested heavily on his head, large and ceremonial, the symbol of his rank as royalty. A mere decade ago he'd never have dreamt that one day he'd become King of Hyrule. He'd had high ambitions as a youth, far exceeding that of remaining a goatherd for the rest of his life, but nothing as extreme, ridiculous, and out of his league, as becoming a monarch. King by marriage. He hadn't been that loony. Even when he'd first started courting Zelda it had always been something distant on the horizon, ever fleeting and untouchable.

What a quandary the world was. Things never turned out the way one anticipated it would. Here he was, sitting on a throne reserved for the royalty of Hyrule and taking his turn at holding an audience with his subjects. _His_ subjects. That did give quite a delightful thrill of power to it. Audiences were only held twice weekly and he and Zelda had long divvied up the unwanted chore by alternating. Today just so happened to be his turn.

Subtly he turned a page of his novel, holding the papers just a little higher to conceal the movement. He'd get an earful if Zelda ever learned about this bad habit of his. It was bad enough that she'd found out he'd taken to napping on the throne when no one else was around. But darn it if the cushions weren't the comfiest things he'd ever felt! She had attempted to forbid him from it, at least, until he'd learned that as a child she used to sleep here as well, and, as she continuously pointed out, eighty percent of the time his maturity levels dropped to that of a child, so no argument there.

Silence filled the room and he blinked, looking up from his reading to see the woman waiting impatiently for a reply, hands on her hips. He straightened and made a show of ruffling through the documents. He slipped his book between the sheaves of paper, his eyes glimpsing the words at the top of the page, causing him to inwardly grumble to himself.

"Still going on about that land feud, eh?" he said, voice natural and flowing. He crossed his legs and frowned, giving her a poignant stare. "I believe the queen has already sent someone to investigate the land ownership documents. It appears that somehow they've gone missing. Odd, wouldn't you say?"

The woman shuffled her feet, no longer as vocal as before. Link waved her off. A great waste of time, that's what it was.

"This matter is already being seen to," he intoned solidly, "Until it has been investigated properly I would advise you not to come to me about it anymore."

The woman bowed low and stuttered barely loud enough to hear, "Y-yes, your majesty." She left quickly without a backwards glance.

Link indicated Leila to come closer and muttered quietly to her.

"Have someone go through the records room and check our copy of the deed. I suspect fraud, either that or human error, in which case it is just an honest dispute and it should be solved as best we can."

Leila nodded and jot it down on her notepad. "Anything else, King Link?"

Link pondered and gazed upward at the fanciful monument erected above the throne. He beheld a decorative statue of a duplicate of the Triforce, surrounded by the figures of three women with long curling butterfly-like tongues. He was pretty sure they were meant to depict the three Golden Goddesses, yet he found the rendition quite lacking in splendour. Really, those tongues!

He shook his head and responded, "Nothing for now. Is there anyone else on the schedule?"

Leila perused her clipboard and slanted him a dour look. "One last."

"Who is it?"

"Your son."

He tensed at that. Mentally groaning, he rubbed his brow and closed his eyes. What has the boy been doing now? It seemed as if his son had the entire female half of the court wrapped around his finger, and he had no shame in taking advantage of it whenever he could. He was the cause of all manner of mischief, and the most frustrating part was that those women didn't seem to mind.

Link leaned forward and stroked his goatee, musing. At length he gave a short scoff. "Bring him in. Best get it over with."

Leila nodded in acquiesce and indicated for the runner at the door to fetch the prince. Link leaned back and waited in silence. Unlike Zelda who was fine with having her court in attendance, he liked to have the throne room cleared for his audiences. For a while there was only him and Leila, however soon the pattering of little feet could be heard toddling across the blue carpet, steps irregular and stumbling.

"Da!"

Link tried to keep his expression passive, stern even, but within moments of seeing his two-year-old son ambling toward him at full trot, his composure crumpled. He shot to his feet, beaming as he zoomed across the room.

"Lorie!" he called gleefully, snatching his son up in one swoop and swinging him around.

Loring – Lorie for short – giggled and squealed in delight, his tiny arms flung out like the wings of a bird. Link stopped and held him close, nuzzling his nose against the boy's chubby cheek before giving it a peck.

Yes, near all the women at court were charmed by his adorableness; just as they were similarly charmed by the rest of his children. One could not deny that he and Zelda certainly produced cute progeny.

Loring giggled harder, fighting against the kiss.

"Da! No!"

Link smiled, chuckling before he got down to business. "So you want an audience, do you? And what is it that you request of you king?"

"A play date."

Link raised his head and spotted Zelda at the entrance, gliding toward him. She had a small wrapped bundle nestled in her arms, which she continuously glanced down at as if to make certain it was still there and was accompanied by her little shadow, their eldest, a girl no older than five. Little shadow was an apt nickname given to the girl. She had a habit of following around whichever parent that wasn't currently occupied with royal duties as if she were indeed their shadow. Sometimes if she felt particularly neglected she'd hover around even while her parents were at work. The ministers never seemed to mind and often praised her for showing early interest in the affairs of Hyrule – although Link didn't think she paid one wit of attention - and all the rest of the court found it adorable.

Both Zelda and their daughter halted before him. The little girl would have looked very sophisticated for her age, with her chin up and perfect posture, if not for her large teal eyes filled with bright wonder. Her eyes were an exact replica of Zelda's.

Link dropped down beside her and snatched her around the waist. Lorie laughed as he nuzzled them both. "Ceri! Has my little darling come to partake in a play date as well? "

Cerys made a far more valiant attempt to thwart Link's affection, however eventually her resolve faded and she hugged him just as fiercely. Link smiled and kissed her blonde tresses. She was a quiet thing, one who rarely ever laughed or cried, even as a babe, yet she was full of emotion. She merely displayed it more thoroughly through action rather than expressions. She was a vast contrast to Loring who was constantly happy and giggling all the time.

He stood, easily hefting Cerys up in his other arm. Cerys grasped the front of his tunic to hold on while Loring reached out for her, smiling jubilantly at the sight of his sister.

"Cer!" he called. Cerys eyed him nonchalantly and allowed him to clutch her arm.

"I've been far too busy of late," bemoaned Link, giving the children a bounce, "I haven't been spending near enough time with you all."

Zelda scoffed, trailing a finger over the head of her bundle while smiling endearingly at him. "If you call every afternoon before dinner not enough time, that is."

Cerys it seemed had enough of Loring and was attempting to pull her arm away from him while he held fast, acting as if it were a game of tug-o-war.

Link grinned sneakily at them. "Don't worry. Mum misses daddy too."

His wife feigned exasperation. "We see you every day, Link."

He only ignored her and set the children down, placing a hand on Cerys' head and unconsciously caressing her downy soft locks. "Have you been practicing your swordplay, Cerys?"

The little girl's eyes lit up at the topic. Zelda herself had been tutored in swordplay by the age of four and had insisted that her children receive similar educations. Cerys was even allowed to carry around a blunted children's sword, currently fastened to a lopsided belt that she wore above her dress.

"Wanna see, Da?" She grabbed the hilt but was halted before she could pull it out.

"Not in the throne room," said Link, his tone stern. He then smiled secretively at her. "Later in the training grounds. That way you can upstage all the knights, the incompetent blighters."

Cerys bobbed her head, waves of hair fluttering with the motion. "Incomp'tent bliders," she repeated, before ambling across the room to where Loring had found the throne and was trying to heave himself on top of it while Leila watched blandly, adjusting her spectacles.

Cerys swiftly nudged him aside and clambered up. She scooted back to sit against the plush cushions, her feet not even reaching the edge of the seat. Leila automatically handed her a pad and paper whereupon Cerys pretended to write important things while gazing down imperiously at Loring, who was still struggling to climb up.

There was innocence there, as well as vast potential. Vast indeed. It sort of unnerved him whenever she played 'Queen and Subject'. Perhaps they should have waited a few more years before they mentioned to her what her future entailed. Knowing that she was Heir Apparent was obviously getting to her head.

Link smirked and shot Zelda a crafty grin. "I predict our reign will be a short one. We've got a usurper in the making there," he said jokingly.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And you've been helping oh so much with that. Calling her 'your majesty' and letting her wear your crown."

His eyes brightened. "Ah! That's what she's missing." Without hesitation, Link strode over to the throne and took off his crown. Cerys looked up and smiled when he plopped it on her small head, angling it so it sat relatively comfortably.

He stooped to pick up Loring and placed him on the throne next to his sister, on the other side of the armrest. Cerys frowned at him before scribbling once more on her pad, dutifully ignoring her brother when he stood to look over the armrest and reach for her.

Link gave them both a fond tug on the ears before going back to Zelda, who appeared neither impressed nor delighted. Although from the twitching of her lips he could tell that she was withholding a smile.

He shrugged and swooped in for a kiss, careful of the baby that she cradled in her arms. He drew back and gazed down at the sleeping bundle, gently caressing the soft tuft of chestnut hair.

"How is she?" he asked tenderly.

Zelda smiled, her expression calm. "Doing much better. The physician say's that we shouldn't stifle her in the castle so I've been taking her out to the gardens and the fields as often as I can. This trip to Ordon should do wonders for her."

His heart panged with ardor. Both his wife and baby girl were so strong.

Hetty was their third and youngest child. At only five months old it was still uncertain whether she would live past her first year. Zelda had taken ill during her last stages of pregnancy, causing Hetty to arrive over a month early. Needless to say the birth had not gone well. He'd nearly lost them both. Hetty was still very fragile, and as a result of the complications Zelda would be unable to bear anymore children. It saddened them both, Zelda had been aiming for five, but it didn't diminish their gratefulness of what they'd been given.

They had high hopes for her though. Already Hetty was showing signs of improvement. She'd been feeding and crying more, which although Link had issues with the latter, the physician said was a good thing. He was confident she would survive and live a long healthy life.

That was the reason why lately he'd been taking over the majority of the work, so that Zelda could care for their daughter. Link would have provided more assistance if not for the fact that keeping her fed every couple of hours would prove problematic. He lacked the physiology for it.

His attention was diverted by Loring's squeal as he rolled off the throne. Any worry he felt was instantly diminished when he saw that Leila had swiftly snatched him up before he could hit the ground.

He turned back to Zelda, giving her another kiss.

"I see her hair is starting to darken like Lorie's," he said, a playful grin on his face. "It appears that Cerys is to be the only blonde in the family. Something you're not telling me, Zelda?"

Zelda shot him a fierce scowl. "If you're implying what I think you are…" He waggled his eyebrows and she smacked his shoulder. "Idiot! You know that I would never sleep around."

Wincing, Link rubbed away the sting and chuckled. "Are you certain? That Callan person had blonde hair too."

She sniffed haughtily and tore away from him. "While you were playing the villain I barely left your side. And I would think you'd know about genetics. She merely possesses two recessive alleles."

"I was only teasing," said Link, placing his arms around her waist. His tone suddenly darkened, becoming much more suggestive and sultry. "Besides, after having me, no one else would ever be able to satisfy you."

Zelda leaned into his embrace and smiled slyly. "Oh? Shall we test that? Shad for instance just might be able to match you."

His arms went rigid around her as he glared down, appalled. "You're not being serious. Shad?" he growled. His irritation only mounted when she shrugged.

"You know what they say about the scholarly types," she chirped, positively beaming while disregarding his murderous state. "Get them in bed and they're no redead."

Link spluttered, too shocked for words. Had his wife honestly just said that? In front of their daughter no less! Albeit, one who didn't yet possess a grasp of the Hylian language, any linguistics really, and wouldn't for a good few years to come. But it was the principle of the matter!

"Link? Link, I haven't killed you with shock, have I?"

He shook his head and went back to smirking, his eyes glinting. He saw the heave of her breasts as she inhaled sharply at his primal look.

He leaned in close, face not quite touching hers. "No," he reassured, chuckling at her expression, "After all, there is little competition to be had against a redead."

He felt heat fill his veins. How adorable she looked when pouting. It made him want to drag her to their rooms and snog her senseless, followed by hot sex then more snogging, or perhaps both at once. They'd always been good at multitasking.

"And," he continued, tugging her tighter against him. "Ashei would have your head, queen or not."

Zelda wasn't even fazed. She rocked Hetty gently in her arms and laughed. "If I wanted to add Shad to my collection of concubines there'd be little she could do to stop me."

"NO!" Link declared, scowling vehemently. "Just no!"

Not only was it against the law, punishable by death – either by the people's hand or by the Goddesses – it was just plain no! It defiled the sanctity of marriage and was considered immoral. Asides from that, Hyruleans – Hylians in particular – did not share.

She hummed in amusement, showing what he already knew, that she wasn't being serious about it. "Just a thought."

"You think vile things."

"And you do not?" she asked cynically.

He kissed her cheek. "Only about you."

He dipped his face close to hers and touched her lips with his. At first it was soft, mere caresses and inhaling each other's breath, before it deepened, mouths opening and tongues joining in a sensual waltz. He fastened her against him, mindful of little Hetty who was caught in between. Link became lost in the feel of her, so close and warm. His love, his wife, the mother of his children, his queen.

A lifetime wasn't long enough together. He desired eternity.

His eyes opened at the sound of someone's cough and the tugging of his cape. They parted and Link glanced over to see Leila, holding a squirming Loring, as she indicated with a jerk of her chin down to Cerys who had a firm grasp of his cape. At some point she had discarded his crown, probably finding the weight tiresome, and had abandoned her throne to see them. Reluctantly he released Zelda and let her step away, keeping a hand planted on her waist.

"Yes, Cerys?" said Zelda, her voice soft and lilting. "Is there something you want?"

Leila once again coughed. "Princess Cerys would kindly like to remind you of your schedule for today."

With that the little girl held up her notepad and Link took it, eyes flitting over the mess of lines and spirals. "Ah, yes! Our schedule…"

Dear Nayru, was he supposed to know what this visual catastrophe meant? He peered sidelong at Leila, who deemed not to be the least bit helpful. She stared blandly ahead, as she always did, neither concerned nor willing to offer assistance. Bloody useless.

"Let me take a look," said Zelda, and striving not to give a resigned sigh, Link helplessly angled it in her direction. Zelda hugged her bundle of baby to her and observed the eyesore then smiled knowingly. "Hmm, perfectly legible," she said, grinning. Link rolled his eyes. "Your father didn't learn how to read until he was twelve, and he still has trouble. Anyone who is even remotely literate would know that it says that the carriage is waiting for us to leave for Ordon. Is it nearly noon already?"

"Have to go, mama!" said Cerys insistently while Loring squealed and repeated 'go go go' in a mantra, his arms flailing all over and nearly knocking Leila's spectacles off more than once.

Link grinned broadly. "Then to Ordon we go!"

Loring wriggled excitedly out of Leila's grasp and ran down the carpet, followed closely by Cerys who'd sprinted after him. Already quite agile for her age, she'd make certain to stop him before he reached the stairs.

"Leila, you're dismissed," said Zelda.

The assistant gave a curt bow and muttered, 'your majesties,' before heading back toward the throne to fetch Link's crown for polishing then departed out an obscure side door.

Placing a hand on Zelda's lower back, Link led her out into the bright sunshine. A pair of guards stood sentry on either side of the grand doors. The children's nursemaid, who had been waiting diligently outside for them, had taken to overseeing Cerys and Loring and ensuring that they didn't hurt themselves while going down the stairs.

"And how did you know Cerys had written that on our schedule?" Link questioned, perplexed and irritated. In hindsight it shouldn't have been hard for him to at least guess, however he hadn't wanted to chance it and possibly answer wrong. The look of dismay that would have shone in her eyes would have been unbearable to live with.

Zelda hummed beside him. "Because heading to Ordon is the only thing left to do today. Not to mention she's been going on about it for weeks."

"Ah." And he'd been the receiver of that incessant chattering too. How remiss of him.

He stared at Zelda from the corner of his eyes, admiring her. She made a beautiful picture, chocolate tresses shining under the light of the sun, her face glowing with color as she cooed at Hetty, who had begun to stir, giving a wide yawn. Zelda had quickly regained her trim figure after having Hetty, but then again she'd been eating far less during this pregnancy, her muscles once again beginning to firm from increased time practicing her swordsmanship, and her skin far less ghostly pale than it had been while ill.

Zelda caught him staring and smiled up at him. Link was transfixed.

It was possibly one of the most beautiful pictures of her he'd ever seen.

His love for her spilled out in his beaming smile. "And how is my darling wife today?" he asked.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and were now entering the presence chamber where many of the nobles dallied around.

He spotted a crowd of court ladies crooning over Loring, who soaked up the attention gleefully, rewarding them with childish giggles and cute faces. Cerys seemed to tolerate the attention as many women exclaimed over her soft hair and lovely eyes. Link wasn't certain or not if she was inwardly preening or being polite. His eldest was a mystery to him sometimes.

He glanced over at Zelda when she didn't respond right away only to find her frowning.

"You ask me this belatedly?" she said tersely.

Ah, was she seriously bothered by that? Women could be so random at times. "Zelda, love," he cajoled and was immediately interrupted.

"As an afterthought?"

She was putting him on the spot here. He smirked knowingly at her and kissed her brow. "My thoughts are always of you. But the little miscreants do have a tendency to distract."

There was a sharp tug on his arm and the next thing he knew he'd been dragged off to an alcove, partially hidden from the masses.

Zelda had shifted Hetty to one arm, the other was flung around his neck, fingers digging into his hair. She gave him a seductive little smirk and pulled him down. "So do I."

Deep blue orbs flared with burning passion.

And he was lost...

It took their frantic council half an hour to locate them after ordering the entire castle be scoured top to bottom. In the end they were both shamefully chastised by Cerys for being tardy, in front of their entire court.

* * *

Zelda breathed out softly and rolled over on her side, facing away from the sun. It was late afternoon in Ordon and she had taken to lazing out on the pasture, on the verge of drifting off.

Sounds reached her ears, the voices of the old resistance team who had come to join them on their vacation. A table had been set up near the fence, out of the way of rampaging goats, where Telma along with Auru, Rusl, Shad and Ashei sat together drinking pumpkin juice and sharing tales. A moment ago she and Link had been part of that group until they'd decided to laze on the grass a short distance away.

High pitched squeals and laughter also resounded throughout the ranch as her two eldest ran around with Shad and Ashei's child, a little boy named Jesse. They dodged under and around the goats, playing something between chase and avoidance, where every time they encountered each other they squealed and ran away, or simply ran off without squealing in Cerys' case. At one point Cerys tried to climb on top of one of the goat's back's to ride it but was swiftly shaken off, the goat wandering away to graze in peace. Although Ordonian goats could have quite a temper when dealing with adults, it was found that around children they were mostly docile.

A low chuckled came from her right. Discreetly she peeked an eye open to see Link lying on his back beside her, cradling Hetty on his chest as she pawed his face. She scratched at the tuft of hair on his chin before Link held up a finger in front of her, tapping her nose and flicking over her cheeks. She nabbed it in her tiny fists when it came within her reach and was quick to stick it between her gums to suck on.

"You silly little monster," he said, struggling to pull his finger out gently, a glob of drool sliding down the digit.

"She takes after you," said Zelda, unable to restrain a smile. She leaned up on her elbows and brushed a few wayward hairs out of her face. "You put your mouth everywhere too. And she's not a monster."

He clicked his tongue in reproach. "Making innuendos in front of the baby again. My queen has no shame."

Zelda brushed him off and crawled over to drape herself over his stomach.

Link jolted. "Restrain yourself, woman!"

She rolled her eyes and picked up Hetty. She twisted around so that she could lie on her back with her head resting on top of Link's torso then held the baby above her. Hetty blinked in bemusement at the sudden change of perspective before cooing at the sight of her mother. Zelda cooed right back before making smiley faces at her.

Her perch rumbled beneath her as Link chuckled.

"You're cute when you do that," he said, drifting a hand through her hair.

"Whereas you just look plain silly," retorted Zelda, bringing Hetty close. Hetty's head automatically turned toward her, instinctively looking for something to latch onto with her mouth.

Zelda groaned. "Again, darling?"

Hetty began whimpering, signifying the beginning of waterworks. Sitting up, Zelda grabbed Hetty's blanket from where it had been spread on the grass a foot away from them, and pulled it over her front, concealing her as she tugged down her dress and began to nurse.

At that moment Cerys came over and plopped down beside her, reclining against Link's arm.

Link smiled at the little girl and tugged on the tip of her pointed ear. "Tired, Ceri?" he remarked. In reply, Cerys snuggled more closely against him.

Zelda relaxed in contentedness, cradling Hetty lovingly. She once more listened to the conversation of the resistance members. Soon Ilia made an appearance, her belly swollen with what was to be her's and Hadrian's first child. Link always had said that the man worked slow. It had taken over three years of courting for Hadrian to muster the courage to propose - Ilia had been about ready to do it herself, it had been a period of frustration for her. And it had taken even longer to conceive their child, which Link guessed was due to a lack of virility on Hadrian's part, whereupon Zelda had commented on how long it had taken for her to get pregnant, which had at once shut Link up. Some people simply had difficulties.

Zelda had finished with her nursing and righted her dress just as Ilia approached them.

"Good day, your majesty," she said to Zelda brightly before honing in on Link. "There you are, Link. Sir Ryan has arrived and is looking for you. He say's there's an issue at the castle."

Link shrugged unconcerned and threw an arm over his eyes. "Not my problem. Where's Sir Hadrian, do you know? Shouldn't he be running around in your stead? It can't be easy with how lar – er – while pregnant."

Ilia frowned and thrust her hands on her hips. "I don't consider it insulting, I'll have you know." She sniffed and crossed her arms, sticking her nose up. "It's a natural process. I won't be this big forever. Hadrian's overseeing the Royal Guard, by the way." She then jabbed a finger at him. "And don't change the subject! Go see Ryan. He's pestering everyone."

Link groaned and before Zelda knew it, had snatched Hetty from her.

"Can't," he said shrugging innocently. "Baby watching. Zelda's tired so I'm giving her a break. Hetty kept her awake half the night."

Too true that was, mused Zelda. She couldn't wait until Hetty became old enough to spoon feed.

Ilia huffed then switched her focus to Cerys, her demeanour changing into a much more pleasant one. "Hello Princess Cerys. Are you having fun?"

The little girl had been gazing up at Ilia wide-eyed, but those eyes narrowed slightly as her face scrunched in a cute frown. "Queen. I'm Queen Cerys," she said insistently.

Ilia giggled and flapped her hand. "Oh my. How cute! Maybe someday after your parents have retired, okay honey."

"It's a faze," muttered Link nonchalantly, motioning in large circles with his hand.

Zelda wasn't so certain about that. Sometimes it felt as if Cerys was a little too ambitious for a five year old.

Across the field Loring had stumbled over a clump of grass and fell down. Zelda watched amusedly as he pushed his hands against the ground to heave himself up. While he was struggling a kid trotted up to him and began nibbling on his shirt. The small pressure on his back was enough to send Loring rolling forward in an induced somersault. He laughed and ended up on his back, then squirmed as the young goat continued nibbling on his clothes.

"Should we do something about that?" asked Ilia uncertainly, watching as Loring tried to bat the goat away.

Link snorted and went back to playing with Hetty. "Nope. Lorie's going to get eaten."

At that declaration, Cerys shot to her feet, unsheathing her blunt children's sword. "I'll help," she declared, before scrambling over to rescue her brother.

Zelda worried her bottom lip as she watched her go. "Link, will she…"

"Don't worry about it," said Link, brushing her worries aside. "Once the kid sees the sword it will dash away."

Sure enough as Cerys careened toward the young goat, sword in hand, one look at her caused it to release Loring and run off. Cerys approached her brother and hauled him to his feet by the arm, only to shove him back down straight after. Loring found it hilarious and was giggling like mad. He certainly was a happy child.

Ilia gazed off into the distance. "Here Ryan comes now. I'll see you two majesties later. Don't be a royal pain in the arse to him, Link."

She scampered off to join the group at the table and sure enough not two minutes had passed before Ryan came storming up to them, donned in full armor, his helmet tucked under his arm, and bearing a most vicious scowl.

Zelda closed her eyes and lay on the grass, unrepentant as she let Link deal with it with no intention of helping.

Ryan's and Link's relationship was certainly an interesting one. They'd always had a mutual dislike for one another. It had always annoyed Ryan that Link had been his superior, first as Queen's Champion and highest ranking knight of the order, and now as king. He was an honorable man, however, and it was most likely that alone that prevented him from outright defying Link's every order. And Link had no qualms with abusing his power. That was probably why Sir Ryan transferred to the Queen's Sword, the division of knights who answered to none other but the queen.

More mind-boggling than his rivalry with Link was the founding of his relationship with his wife. Of all people he had married Cilla. Initially they'd thought her simply a maid at Ivy Manor only to later discover that she was in actuality a duchess. Apparently she had been hidden away for most of her life by overprotective parents – they'd lost three other children to illness so one could hardly blame them – and hadn't been allowed to leave their castle home. That had been when she'd gotten the idea to run off by herself and come under the employ of Link. It had been after Link's villainy spree that she had reconciled with her parents and officially joined the court. And what a shock it had been to Ryan when he'd beheld her all dressed up while attending a ball at Hyrule Castle. She had teased and flirted with him until Ryan could take it no longer and stomped away, fuming. It had amused Zelda endlessly, while Link had declared that the end of it. However not four months later they'd become engaged.

They now lived with their twin daughters in a town house in the upper district of Castle Town, close to the castle. Lord Ryan, he was called, although he insisted on being referred to by his knightly station.

He stopped five feet away from them and made an audible noise of irritation. "King Link," he snarled with obvious distaste, "There appears to be an issue and the council is in need of you. Minister Raleigh insists that you return to the castle immediately."

Link frowned as he looked up from playing with his daughter. "If they can't bloody well deal with it themselves then they're hardly worth being part of the council." He snorted and leaned back, trailing a slim blade of grass over Hetty's cheeks. "This is a good educational opportunity for them. Teach them how to survive without the monarchs."

"The royal seal is required," hissed Ryan, voice insistent. "Something only you and her majesty can administer."

Link shrugged. "Why annoy me about it. You're Zelda's Sword."

In affront, Zelda reached back and pinched his ear. "I'm on maternity leave."

Her husband was being a baby about it. However they had specified quite clearly that while they were vacationing in Ordon they were not to be disturbed under any circumstance. Not even if Hyrule was crumbling to pieces, swarmed by dark entities and cruel beasts, although Zelda was pretty certain that if something like that were to occur they'd do something about it. Zelda had even left explicit instructions for each minister on what to do in the case of various scenarios happening. What she had not specified was how long they'd be away for and she intended to keep that open-ended.

"Tell Raleigh to put it on hold. It can bloody wait," spat Link. Hetty startled at his vehement tone and immediately started wailing. Link gave a look of hopelessness before getting to his feet and holding her out for Ryan. "Here. It's your fault she's crying."

Sir Ryan faltered when Link thrust the baby at him, hands automatically coming up to hold her.

"Did Raleigh come with you?"

"Yes," said Ryan hesitantly, staring at the upset child in his hands. "He's with Mayor Bo. He brought the documents. He wanted to make sure you or Queen Zelda signed them. Although he still wants you to return with him to the castle to sign others." He held the baby away from him distastefully. "Your majesty, surely the child's nursemaid can watch over her."

"Zelda and I came here for some family time," shot Link as he strode off. "The nursemaid has been given time off. Ruddy Raleigh. Just had to ruin everything and bring more work for us. I swear if he-"

His voice trailed off as he wandered farther away. Zelda fastidiously ignored Sir Ryan when he looked to her for assistance, and rolled over, shutting her eyes and enjoying the sunshine. She really was tired after tending to Hetty practically all night. It was a nice break to have someone else watch over her.

"Your majesty, I-"

"You've had twins, Sir Ryan," Zelda cut in, tuning out the sound of Hetty's crying as it diminished to whimpers. She loved her baby dearly, but she just needed so much attention, too much for Zelda to handle alone. "I'm certain you can find a way to calm her down."

She tucked a palm under her cheek and wasn't even affected when Cerys came over to cuddle with her. She merely opened her arms and allowed the little girl to cling to the front of her dress. Loring and Jesse had both run over to the table and were being looked after by Telma and the others. It was nice to have so many competent friends help her out when she needed it.

Giving a resigned sigh, Ryan sat cross-legged on the ground and set to entertain Hetty.

* * *

"I don't understand it."

Sir Hadrian listened to the soldier as he finished debriefing him then turned to Sir Leonard who was staring off in the direction of the ranch after King Link.

Link had wasted little time starting an argument with Lord Raleigh, before skimming the documents and signing them, and outright telling the lord that he would not be going back to the castle to complete even more work. He'd then smashed the royal seal down at the bottom and both lord and king had angrily gone on their way.

He felt bad that the king and queen's vacation had been interrupted so soon, not even the second day in. He hoped they'd be able to enjoy the rest of it in peace.

"Don't understand what," said Hadrian, idly wondering where Ilia had gotten to. His wife was hard to keep track of. Whenever the desire hit her she'd go out and wander the woods, scaling trees and rocks with heights that made his stomach queasy. Now that she was pregnant she thankfully limited her excursions to within the village and the light spring. Even then he still had trouble with her whereabouts.

"How their majesty's do it," continued Leonard, earning an inquisitive glance from Hadrian.

"You'll have to specify," he said as they started down the path.

He glanced over to where Ellory, Uli and Rusl's young daughter, was flustering the Royal Guard with her enthusiastic questioning. Her personality was just like Ilia, Beth and Talo's. Must be an Ordonian thing. The guards didn't seem to know quite how to react to all that energy and only shifted on their feet, answering her as best they were able. She could and would have kept it up for hours if not for Collin arriving on the scene and extracting her from the contingent. He apologized to them then led her away, all the while chastising her for overwhelming their guests.

Hadrian had a feeling the guards didn't really mind. They'd only been caught by surprise.

"I've heard of what they went through during the Twilight Invasion," Leonard went on. "We all survived it, but they endured the worst of it from what I heard. In addition there was that incident with the assassin."

"Yes, that was before you joined the order," input Hadrian. Perhaps Ilia was waiting for him at home? It was nearly time for supper; maybe he'd cook something for her, give her a small break. Under her guidance, his culinary skills were steadily improving. He was confident he could concoct something a step above abysmal. Perhaps...

"Did you know that Queen Zelda is deathly afraid of poes?"

"I do," Hadrian replied. "But she's not as afraid of them anymore. I was there during that incident," he informed him. "I worked alongside King Link to bring the assassin to justice. Are you getting at something, Sir Leonard?"

The younger man frowned and swiped a bead of sweat from his brow. They arrived at the house and Hadrian let them in. He undid the clasp of his cape and folded it neatly before setting it on the counter. Leonard took his lead and imitated him, removing his knightly cape and gauntlets before taking a seat at the round wooden table.

Hadrian looked around. It turned out that Ilia hadn't come home yet. She'd have checked who'd come in the door if she was.

Leonard furrowed his brows in confusion. "Then how, after living through all those horrors, have they come to be as they are now? How can they be so merry, so laid back and unconcerned? You would think they'd be jaded. They should be colder and more serious than they are now." He sighed and shook his head. "It just doesn't make sense."

Hadrian poured them each a cup of pumpkin juice and diligently sipped from his. He thought about his reply before he said, "Do you know what it is to live in true misery?"

Leonard grunted, holding his cup to his lips. "The entire Twilight fiasco was positively miserable."

He nodded, conceding. "Yes, it was. But as you said, whatever misery we lived, they lived it tenfold. Same with the assassin incident." He pondered for a bit over his wording, idly rotating his cup, before continuing. "They hated it. For a time their lives were constant fear and uncertainty. When both incidents were all over it was a great relief to them, but they did not want to have the lingering affects plaguing them for the rest of their lives. I believe they took a different perspective. Instead of being held back by trauma they altered it so that their experiences strengthened them. You know the expression about conquering your fears so that you will not be ruled by them? They did just that."

"That's not a decision one can just make," said Leonard, eyeing him skeptically.

Hadrian shook his head. "No it is not. But with enlightenment it can be."

"So you believe they were both enlightened?" Leonard reclined in his seat and crossed his arms. "That's still rather farfetched."

How to put it so that he would understand? Hadrian scratched his beard in agitation. "Let's say this. Both their majesties didn't want their past to ruin the rest of their lives. They're too grateful that both of them survived and they don't want to sully their future by dwelling too much on depressing thoughts or lamenting on what has already happened. It was a choice they made, but also one that was forced upon them. The hero's mentality was already strong to begin with, he feared little and not many things shook him up. Contrary to what people would expect, he did not suffer from any trauma. The Goddesses gifted him with a mind too strong for that. And it is he, I believe, who has helped Queen Zelda in becoming the same way. Although they suffered, they realize that now they are free and can bask in the rewards. Together they've achieved the safety of Hyrule, a prospering kingdom once again. And now with a family there is little that can dampen their happiness. Not even all the bad in their lives can measure up to that. That is how they live on."

Leonard opened his mouth to say something, closed it then smiled. "Counting their blessings, eh? It's astounding and inspiring."

"And they have a great many blessings to be thankful for," said Hadrian.

Leonard grinned and raised his cup. "And may they have many more in the years to come," he said before they both downed their drinks. A silent toast to their king and queen.

* * *

Zelda sat at the desk in her chambers at Hyrule Castle, quill in hand, a small thin booklet open before her. It was an oddly designed thing, magically fabricated so that the pages on the left appeared a golden color while those on the right were deep grey. Both were currently blank and she stared at it, wondering how to begin.

A glance to the timepiece showed that it was nearly midnight. Setting her writing utensil down, she clutched the front of her robe and angled on her chaise to survey the moonlight shining on the bedspread, underneath which Link slept soundly, Hetty held comfortably in his embrace. Snuggled against his back was Loring, who had crept from the nursery to crawl into their bed almost as soon as he'd been tucked into his. On the odd day Cerys too would sneak in to sleep with them, however it didn't appear as if she'd be coming this time.

Just as well. She was getting too old for it anyways. It would be a habit she'd have to soon break.

Her gaze touched on little Hetty, heart filling with warmth. Only one more week until she reached her first birthday and the physician had declared her outlook a bright one. She was going to live. She had become much stronger, gained weight and was able to roll over on her own and had begun to crawl – which was stressful as much as it was a delight. Her mobility had caused her to become quite adventurous. Zelda had cried when the physician had given the news and she could have sworn she'd seen a tear or two glistening in Link's eyes as well. All her children were safe and hers to keep.

The door to their bedroom had been kept partway open and Zelda's eyes shifted over to it when it widened further to admit their little queen in the making. Cerys barely glanced at her before darting to the bed and clambering up, crawling over to add her snuggles to the medley. Zelda silently observed them. Her dearest treasures all bunched together on her bed.

It was said that a ruler's entire kingdom was their family and it was that ruler's duty as the head to watch over them and do their best to ensure they lived long and happy lives. But as precious as her kingdom was to her, her personal family, a substantially smaller one, held a dear place in her heart that could never be touched by anything else.

This was what she lived for.

A small giggle from her booklet caught her attention and she glanced down to see an image appear on the dark page. The icon hovered and molded before it took the form of a small dark imp.

Zelda smiled and took up her quill. She dabbed it in the inkwell before placing the tip against the golden page and wrote:

_Dear Midna_

She paused as a script of elegant cursive appeared on the dark page. The imp zoomed on the paper around it, grinning cheekily.

_We've been at this for years. How many times do I have to say this? You don't always always ALWAYS have to begin so formally!_

Zelda read the message and chuckled. It was so like Midna to add a note of frustration to her writing voice. Partially that was the reason Zelda kept on bugging her. They'd both become accustomed to it during the three years that they've been communicating with each other.

It had been a gift that Midna had developed and created and somehow found a way to send to them a few years ago. Just because she had destroyed the Mirror of Twilight to keep people from venturing between worlds did not mean that she'd wanted to completely sever connections. Well, at first she had, but after a good amount of prying, she and Link had found out that Midna had missed them and wished to be able to at the very least speak with them. And so she'd created the booklets. Although she had made sure to tell them that she did not regret shattering the mirror one bit. Zelda and Link had understood and respected her decision. They'd had no further discussion on the topic since.

The book had come to them as a surprise. Midna was in possession of its partner in the Twilight Realm, an exact replica but for the dark tinted pages on the left rather than the right. Whenever one of them wanted to message the other that booklet let them know, and no matter how much was written on it, the pages never filled up. They could go back to look at previous conversations, they had years worth logged, but still the booklet never seemed to thicken.

The imp icon began floating around her page. It crossed its arms and legs and appeared to lean back. Midna had divulged that Zelda and Link too possessed an icon. For Link his was a wolf, although Midna had referred to it as a mutt. Zelda's, of all things, was a fairy. The icons were meant to reflect each other's mood and lingered on the page to show whether they were present or away.

The imp began twirling in place as if she were about to warp. Midna must be getting agitated.

A deep voice rumbled beside her ear. "Well? Aren't you going to write anything?"

Zelda hummed and flicked the feather of her quill in Link's face. He bat it away and tweaked her side in retaliation. Zelda jumped and levelled him a firm glare. Link merely smiled.

"Really, Zelda," he said reproachfully, "Can't wait until morning to speak with Midna?"

Zelda bristled. "And this is why. We were supposed to be having a private discussion."

"A woman thing, is it?"

She sniffed. "If you want to put it that way."

He indicated at the page. "I think she's getting tired of waiting."

Midna had written more, her handwriting far less elegant now as it was tinged with impatience. Link's icon must have appeared on her copy for she addressed it to him.

_Link! Tell your wife to do something or close the stupid book so we can talk another day! If I'm going to sit here waiting for nothing to happen then I'm leaving. _

Link chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Well, you heard the queen, my queen. Have your girl talk then come back to bed."

He strode off and slipped smoothly under the covers where three mini versions of them slept.

Smiling endearingly at them, Zelda poised her quill and began to write.

**\~~Finis~~/**

* * *

**And that, ladies and gents, is the end. *Gives extravagant bow***

**Please review and tell me what you thought of it! ^^ **

**If any of you follow my main story 'Dead Inside' you'll see that I have a habit of compromising whenever I ask for opinions or take requests. About two thirds of you wanted Link and Zelda to have a girl, so I gave them two girls and one boy ^^ Since the majority of you wanted a girl, the baby Zelda was pregnant with last chapter had to end up as one.**

**I shall now direct you to my profile where you are free to peruse my other stories. I will be working on my main story 'Dead Inside', along with 'Clandestine', and 'Devious'. And for those not aware, the first chapter of 'Devious' has been posted! Also the lemon version of 'Villainous' is still in progress, so keep an eye out for updates on deviantart if you're interested ;)**

**Name meanings for Zelink babies:**

**_Cerys_ \- Means love. Which is essentially what this entire story was all about. It is the biggest theme here, so I find it appropriate that their first child represent that. **

**_Loring_ \- Means son of the famous warrior. ^.^ It just fits. Plus I love the sound of it.**

**_Hetty_ \- A variation of Henrietta. People with this name have a deep inner desire for travel and adventure, and set their own pace in life without being governed by tradition. ****Basically sums up her future personality. **

**I admit to having three younger siblings, two of which are still in elementary school (huge age gap there). I also have many young cousins, most of whom are between the ages of 3 and 10, so I do in fact have experience with children and know how they act and speak and I based a lot of the interactions here on them. I just have one thing to say...children are dumb. Cute sometimes, but often it just seems like they have air for brains :P**

**Another thing, I'm not entirely certain that redead quote is mine or if I got it from another fanfic. I swear I've heard it before, but then again I'm not certain. So if you guys recognize it please tell me and I can remove it!**

**Answer to reviews:**

**_Twokeyz_: Well, that baby didn't end up a boy, but I hope you can be satisfied that their second was a son. The votes were a bit uneven, weren't they. **

**That was chapter 4 on deviantart, I believe. And you should call more for 'Dead Inside' ^^ It would be interesting to see what assumptions you make, even if they do end up being false.**

**_Guest (Jun 12)_: Okay, time for some explaining. So I dissected Hylian biology (essentially meaning I mucked it up), and decided that in my version of LoZ periods just simply do not exist. Farore's not that cruel! So the way their bodies ovulate would be far different than ours, with no pain or blood involved. Actually, I changed a lot of their physiology. I should really write up a full description of it sometime. **

**Moving on, there are a few symptoms that inform Hylian women that they're expecting, such as feeling extremely happy for no reason, flowers magically blooming beneath their touch (even for non mages), the typical morning sickness (hormones are still being disrupted, sadly), and other physiological changes, and most significant of all, the night that the baby is conceived Farore whispers in their ears about the gift she has bestowed them and they remember it in the morning. **

**Sorry for any awkwardness or if that messed with your mind ^^' My sister say's to expand my horizons, so that's what I did.**

**Thank you everyone for your diligence while waiting for the story's completion! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you all so much! Your support has simply astounded me. It was a great pleasure creating this for you. ****Now on to 'Devious'!**


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